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Following the successful mission of the Indian warship INS Kolkata, which led to the surrender of all 35 pirates aboard the pirate ship MV Ruen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that India is “committed” to safeguarding the freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.
PM Modi responded to a post by President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria Rumen Radev. In a post on X, Radev wrote, “My sincere gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for the brave action of Indian Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship “Ruen” and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian citizens.”
Reposting the post, PM Modi said, “Appreciate your message President PresidentOfBg. We are happy that 7 Bulgarian nationals are safe and will be returning home soon. India is committed to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.”
Also Read: Indian Navy thwarts Somali Pirates’ hijacking attempt; intercepts ex-MV Ruen | Watch Video
On Saturday, the Indian Air Force’s C-17 aircraft conducted a precise airborne drop of two boats, accompanied by Indian Navy MARCOS, in the Arabian Sea to support the ongoing anti-piracy mission, ‘Operation Sankalp’.
Earlier, responding to Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Mariya Gabriel for thanking the Indian Navy for rescuing seven Bulgarian nationals in a successful anti-piracy operation in the Arabian Sea, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that it is exactly what friends are for.
In a post on X, Jaishankar wrote, “That’s what friends are for,” alongside Gabriel’s post.
Taking to X, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said, “I express my gratitude to the Indian navy for the successful operation to rescue the hijacked vessel Ruen &its crew members, including 7 BG nationals Thank you for support &great effort. We continue to work together to protect lives of the crew.”
Meanwhile, as reported by ANI, Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said that the exercise was part of an ongoing anti-piracy operation since 2008 and piracy suddenly increased some months ago.
“It has been an ongoing operation for a long time. Since 2008, we have had a presence in anti-piracy operations. Piracy suddenly resurfaced around 3-4 months ago, and since then we have put more ships there. We are investigating all suspicious vessels that have piracy triggers in this ongoing operation,” Admiral Hari Kumar told ANI.
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