Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared in Visakhapatnam on Saturday that maritime piracy and smuggling would not be permitted under any circumstances
Singh stressed that this was a promise of a "New India” following the commissioning of the first Survey Vessel Large (SVL) ship INS Sandhayak.
The ceremony was held at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, with the defence minister attending along with Indian Navy Chief R Hari Kumar and several Senior Navy officers.
"When it comes to global trade, the Indian Ocean region is counted as a hotspot. Many choke points such as the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Guinea, among others, are in the Indian Ocean. A large volume of international trade happens in these areas. These choke points are facing multiple threats, the biggest of which is from pirates”, said the minister.
"We want freedom of navigation, trade and commerce to be maintained at all costs. There should be unimpeded and uninterrupted trade involving different countries," Singh continued. "Our growing naval strength and maritime influence are being directed towards stopping narcotics and human trafficking in this region”.
In order to ensure the security of the Indian Ocean and the Indo-Pacific region, he continued, the Navy is the first responder in the region due to its strength and assertiveness.