INS Sudarshini’s port call at Mindelo, Cape Verde, marks a key milestone: Ministry

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

New Delhi, May 11 (IANS) INS Sudarshini’s port call at Mindelo marks a key milestone under the Indian Navy’s Bridges of Friendship initiative, reaffirming commitment to maritime outreach and enduring partnerships with friendly nations, said the Ministry of Defence on Sunday.

The Indian Navy’s sail training ship, INS Sudarshini, successfully concluded an engaging port call at Mindelo, Cape Verde, on May 8, as part of her ongoing expedition, Lokayan 26.

“The four-day stopover featured a range of professional interactions, cultural exchange, and social engagements, further deepening maritime ties between the two nations,” said the Ministry.

During the stay, the Commanding Officer of INS Sudarshini called on Capitao-de-Navio Kahbi Yassine Fonseca Pereira Batista, Commander of the Cabo Verde Coast Guard, at the Coast Guard Command.

Discussions focused on shared interests in maritime security and avenues for enhanced cooperation. Training engagement formed a major highlight, with the Indian Navy conducting Damage Control and Seamanship drills onboard the Cabo Verdean patrol vessel Guardiao, stated the Ministry.

It noted that a delegation from the Cabo Verde Army also embarked on INS Sudarshini for a guided tour and an overview of the ship’s sail training capabilities.

A joint Yoga session was organised with participation from personnel of the Cabo Verde Coast Guard and officials from the Indian Embassy, which showcased the warm bond between the two countries, said the Ministry.

“An onboard reception hosted by the ship brought together senior military officers, government dignitaries and members of the diplomatic community, fostering goodwill and camaraderie,” it added.

According to the Ministry, INS Sudarshini now sets sail towards Antigua for the next phase of her deployment — a crucial trans-Atlantic passage which will be the longest leg of the voyage.

The vessel sailed from Kochi in January and made port calls in Oman, Egypt, Malta, France, and Morocco, spreading the message of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the Indian Navy emphasised.

The sail training ship, designed by a UK naval architect and built in Goa, aims to cover a total distance of 22,000 nautical miles. The Lokayan-26 journey is meant for sailing training of Indian Navy cadets and to promote maritime goodwill across the world.

–IANS

ksk/uk

Related Posts

Mexican President again criticises US immigration raids as “unjust”

Mexico City, Sep 10 (IANS) Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has once again criticised the latest raids against migrants in the United States as “unjust,” reiterating that her government has protocols in place to aid affected Mexican nationals.

At her regular daily press conference on Tuesday, Sheinbaum said that following such incidents, an alert has been issued to Mexico’s envoys in the United States, who immediately contact local officials to verify whether any Mexican nationals have been detained.

She stressed that the raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection are “unjust,” Xinhua News Agency reported.

Sheinbaum, who believes comprehensive immigration reform is urgently needed to recognise migrants’ contributions to the US economy, has strengthened Mexico’s consular network in the United States to better aid citizens detained or deported.

At least 26 Mexicans were detained during the latest immigration raids in the southern US state of Georgia, said the Mexican government.

Sheinbaum has been very vocal about her criticisms of the US administration over the immigration raids. Recently, she also slammed Trump over the strike on a Venezuelan ship.

Earlier on August 27, Sheinbaum had reiterated her opposition to any form of foreign intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign countries, referring to recent tensions between the United States and Venezuela.

“We will never be in favour of foreign government intervention in a sovereign country,” the president said, as tensions in the Caribbean Sea escalated after the United States deployed warships near the coast of Venezuela, which Washington describes as part of its strategy to fight the international drug cartels.

Sheinbaum stressed that Mexico will maintain a foreign policy based on respect for sovereignty, the self-determination of peoples and peaceful resolution of conflicts, in line with the constitutional principles guiding Mexican diplomacy.

“Mexico’s foreign policy clearly states ‘no’ to interventionism and ‘yes’ to the defence of the self-determination of peoples. That will always be our position,” she said.

–IANS

int/akl/sd

Manipur CM apologises for violence, hopes normalcy will return in New Year

Imphal, Dec 31 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Tuesday expressed “sorry and regret” for the unfortunate developments in the state due to the ethnic violence that started in May last year.

Addressing the media, the Chief Minister, however, said the year ends on an optimistic note and that he hoped that peace and normalcy would return to the state in the New Year 2025.

He said: “I apologise to all the victims and their kin.”

“It is very unfortunate that many people have lost their loved ones, many people had to leave their homes and villages. However, considering the positive developments during the past three-four months, I hope peace and normalcy will return to the state in the New Year 2025,” Singh said.

Manipur has 34 to 35 different communities, he said adding “We would live together after forgiving what already happened.

“I appeal to all the communities to live together and to make Manipur prosperous with a united effort,” the Chief Minister said.

“On the eve of a New Year, I reflect on the progress we have made together in 2024 and the challenges we have to overcome. As we step into 2025, I reaffirm our commitment to building a stronger, more inclusive state.”

Giving details of incidents of violence over the past 20 months, the Chief Minister said that so far around 200 people have been killed, around 12,247 FIRs were registered and 625 accused persons were arrested.

He said that around 5,600 arms and a huge cache of explosives and around 35,000 ammunition were recovered so far by the security forces from different districts.

“Good progress was achieved by the security forces in dealing with the violence. The central government has provided adequate security personnel and enough funds to help the displaced people and to construct new houses for the displaced families,” the Chief Minister said.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh recently said that bringing a solution to the ongoing ethnic strife in the state would take time as the situation has become complex, chronic and fragile.

The Chief Minister had said that gradually, the situation in Manipur is improving with most of the districts remaining incident-free for the past several months.

“The state and Central security forces along with the civil administration are doing their best to maintain the violence-free situation and to deliver services to the people,” Biren Singh had told the media.

–IANS

sc/uk

Most US Middle East military sites damaged in war with Iran: Report

Washington, May 2 (IANS) Iran and its allies have damaged at least 16 US military sites across eight Middle Eastern countries during the US-Israeli war with Iran starting on February 28, rendering some of those positions virtually unusable, a CNN investigation has found.

The damaged facilities constitute the majority of US military sites in the region, according to the CNN report, citing a congressional aide familiar with the damage assessments.

“There has been a spectrum of assessments,” a source said. “From a pretty dramatic side, of the whole facility is destroyed and needs to be shut down, to leaders who say these things are worth repairing due to the strategic benefit they give the US.”

Satellite images showed that Tehran’s main targets included US advanced radar systems, communications systems and aircraft deployed in the Middle East, many of them expensive and difficult to replace, said the report, which drew on dozens of satellite images and interviews with sources in the United States and Gulf Arab nations.

“It’s notable they really identified those facilities as the most cost-effective targets to hit,” the congressional aide said. “Our radar systems (are) our most expensive and our most limited resources in the region.”

Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III told lawmakers on Wednesday that the conflict with Iran had so far cost US taxpayers 25 billion USD.

Repairs to the US Navy Fifth Fleet headquarters could total $200 million alone, one congressional official told The New York Times following a Pentagon assessment.

An external assessment from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) shows Iranian forces also struck Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait, a runway at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and a munitions storage facility at a military base in northern Iraq, per NBC.

–IANS

int/rs