INS Mysore docked at Hamad yesterday.
To further enhance the historic relations between Qatar and India, another Indian Naval Ship (INS) Mysore, a guided missile destroyer of the Indian Navy, arrived on Wednesday at Hamad Port on a three day visit.
“The ship and its crew received very warm welcome from Qatari authorities,” Captain Prakash Gopalan, who is the commander of the ship told local media during a media trip to the Ship organised by the Embassy of India.
“India has very friendly relationship with Qatar therefore we anchored in Hamad Port. The main purpose was to give a short rest to the crew members after long deployment and to refuel the ship,” said Gopalan.
He said that the ship is currently deployed in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to support the safe transit of Indian flagged merchant ships through the Gulf region.
“We are maintaining continuous presence in this area depending on the situation we can increase the number of ships to intensify the patrolling based on the assessments of threats,” said Gopalan. He said that this is front line destroyer of Indian naval ships which was built and constructed fully in India.
Commander of INS Mysore Captain Prakash Gopalan (centre) and Defence Attache at the Embassy of India, Captain Kapil Kaushik (fourth left), with other officials on the board of the ship. Pics: Salim Matramkot/The Peninsula
Equipped with high technology, this ship is capable of meeting any kind of challenges. The Indian Navy officer thanked Qatar for its keenness towards strengthening the relationship with India noting the country was visited top Qatari officials during the past few years.
“The arrival of INS Mysore shows the deep ties between the two countries,” said Defence Attache at the Embassy of India, Captain Kapil Kaushik. He said that Indian Ambassador P Kumaran is keen to encourage cooperation between the two countries in various sectors including defence.
“Indian Navy is growing and it’s obliged to serve the country and others by helping them meet maritime challenges. Indian Navy has so far added several achievements to its credit by discharging its duty and serving merchant ships in the sea very well,” said Kulvinder Singh Bali, who serves the ship as assistant commander.
He added the Navy is maintaining a continuous presence in the region and the number of ships is increased as per the needs. A 305 member crew including 48 officers is with the ship and some of the officials paid visits to the cultural sites and tourist places in Qatar and enjoyed .
While the ship’s visit to Qatar is a testimony to the friendly ties between India and Qatar, it also highlights the Indian Navy’s commitment to build cooperative partnerships with friendly nations of the Indian Ocean region to develop solutions to meet maritime challenges.
