NEW DELHI: Indian Naval ships Delhi, Shakti and Kiltan have reached Singapore as part of the long-leg operational deployment, led by Rear Admiral Rajesh Dhankhar, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet.
The visiting ships were given a warm welcome by personnel of Republic of Singapore Navy and the High Commissioner of India. “The visit is part of the Operational Deployment of the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet to the South China sea,” the Indian Navy said in a statement.
“This visit is poised to strengthen the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two maritime nations through a series of engagements,” it said.
INS Delhi is a guided missile destroyer, Shakti a replenishment fleet tanker and Kiltan an anti-submarine warfare corvette.
The region of SCS has been bearing tensions due to contested claims to maritime boundaries, which include islands and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). China has been asserting its claim, based on its historical rights. Currently, the Chinese navy is involved in a standoff with the US-backed Philippines naval ships in the South China Sea.
The Philippines is asserting its claim over the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, which is strongly resisted by China. China claims most of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims.
The Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique A Manalo, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, and SFA co-chaired the 5th meeting of the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation.
Holding wide-ranging and substantive discussions on regional and international issues of mutual concern, they underlined that “both countries have a shared interest in a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. They underlined the need for peaceful settlement of disputes and for adherence to international law, especially the UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award on South China Sea.”