INS Kesari arrives at Comoros to provide technical assistance

Visit to Comoros comes even as Beijing has been trying to increase its presence and engagement in Indian ocean and the African continent.

New Delhi: Indian Naval Ship Kesari arrived at the port of Moroni, Comoros on Friday (January 7) to extend technical assistance to the Comorian Coast Guard. The visit came in response to the request made by the Chief of Comorian Coast Guard Commander Moudjib Rahmane Adane to the Indian Navy during his visit to India in November of last year to participate in the Goa Maritime Conclave. The request was to provide technical assistance in repairing a grounded patrol vessel P002-M' kombozi.

A release by Indian mission to Antananarivo is concurrently accredited to Comoros said," India has always been a reliable responder to the requests made by Comoros", adding, "visit of INS Kesari reflects India’s commitment to work together with Comoros, its maritime neighbour and partner in the Indian Ocean Region."

The release highlighted that "India remains committed to further strengthening its development partnership with Comoros that aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR that stands for Security And Growth for All in the Indian Ocean Region."

Interestingly, the ship docked on a day when Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi was in the country. Chinese FM is on a visit to Africa and had earlier visited Ethiopia and Kenya. Visit to Comoros comes even as Beijing has been trying to increase its presence and engagement in the Indian ocean and the African continent. Comoros is strategically located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean between northern Madagascar and northern Mozambique.

Not for the first time, INS Kesari docked in Comoros. In June 2020 the Indian Naval Ship had supplied a consignment of COVID-19 related essential medicines from India. Arrived on board a 14-member Indian Medical Assistance Team to work with the Comorian health authorities in dealing with the pandemic and dengue fever.

Other than INS Kesari, March 2021 saw Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa delivering 1000 metric tonnes of rice to the Indian ocean Island country.

There have been high-level engagement between the 2 sides. India's vice president Venkaiah Naidu visited the country in 2019 during which 6 MoUs were signed, including in Cooperation in the Field of Defence.

 Comoros foreign minister Dhoihir Dhoulkamal visited India in February 2021 to participate n the Aero India 2021 and IOR Defence minister conclave in Bengaluru.  India last year also trained 12 diplomats from the country during the 1st Special Course for diplomats from the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) organized by Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS), Delhi.