Mauritius will be part of a large navy exercise led by India to counter the growing presence of China in the Indian Ocean Region waters.
The drill has been described by the country’s leading publication, Financial Express, as the largest ever multilateral `Milan’ exercise. It is scheduled for the end of February, 2022.
More than 40 plus navies from across the globe are expected to enter the Indian waters starting next month, Financial Express said.
This time besides the member countries of the QUAD (Japan, the US and Australia), the member nations of AUKUS (the UK, Australia & the US) too are going to be participating in this drill.
“The focus will also be on ensuring the sea lanes are open and freedom of navigation. This is important as there is no stopping China which continues its bullying tactics in the Indian Ocean Region waters as well as providing assistance to neighbouring countries,” an unnamed senior officer of the Indian Navy was quoted as saying.
According to the Financial Express, countries expected to participate in the drill are:
Neighbourhood & Asean member countries like Brunei, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Bangladesh, South Korea, Cambodia and others.
African nations: Mozambique, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Tanzania, Comoros among others.
GCC countries: Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Bahrain & Saudi Arabia.
QUAD & AUKUS member countries: Japan, the US, the UK, and Australia.
Also, participating in this drill will be Russia, and France.
Financial Express added that various navies from across the globe have expressed their keenness to join various formats of drills in the sea.
“Countries are looking for ways to stop Chinese expansion, and this has led to a significant increase in the naval exercises and operational interactions with the navies in the region,” it said.
Original article at Financial Express
