The Maiden Bilateral Maritime Exercise
between the Indian Navy (IN) and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) was conducted from
December 20 to 23.
Indigenously built Indian Naval ships Kulish and IN LCU 56 participated in the
inaugural edition of the exercise. The Thailand side was represented by His
Thai Majesty's Ship (HTMS) PrachuapKhiri Khan.
The 36th
edition of India-Thailand Coordinated Patrol (Indo-Thai CORPAT) was also
conducted along with the maiden bilateral exercise. Maritime Patrol Aircraft from both navies participated in the Sea Phase
of the exercise.
As part of
Government of India's vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the
Region), the Indian Navy has been proactively engaging with countries in the
Indian Ocean Region towards enhancing regional maritime security.
The Indian Navy and Royal Thai Navy have
maintained a close and friendly relationship which has strengthened over the
years. The
conduct of maiden IN-RTN Bilateral Exercise along with Indo-Thai CORPAT is a
testimony to the growing bilateral relations between the two maritime
neighbours and has enabled in enhancing interoperability between the two
navies.
The Indo-Thai Bilateral Exercise is being
named as 'Ex-Ayutthaya', which literally translates to 'The Invincible One' or
'Undefeatable', and
symbolizes the significance of two of the oldest cities Ayodhya in India and
Ayutthaya in Thailand, the historic legacies, rich cultural ties and shared
historical narratives dating back to several centuries.