Goodwill tour: Indian naval ships dock at Abu Dhabi port

Two Indian naval warships have docked at a port in the United Arab Emirates as part of a rare Gulf tour to foster maritime goodwill with the Arab nations.

INS Rajput and INS Betwa docked at the Mina Zayed port in Abu Dhabi on Monday in the presence of newly appointed Indian Ambassador to the UAE Talmiz Ahmad.

"I am very delighted with the visit of the two Indian naval ships. They are part of the historic maritime linkages that we have with the Gulf for centuries. We want to exchange ideas with personnel from UAE Navy about the development of maritime technology, naval strategies and tactics," Ahmad said.

Captain A K Jain is commanding INS Rajput and Captain Sanjay Bhutani is commanding INS Betwa.

While INS Rajput will head for Djibouti, INS Betwa will sail to Oman after their joint passage exercise with the UAE naval forces on August 30.

"Our relations with the UAE are progressing, not only in the defence sector but in other areas too. We have come here to reaffirm our relationship. The UAE and Indian governments are cooperating in the field of maritime," said Captain Jain.

"The naval chiefs of both countries have exchanged ideas in the recent past and it is a healthy sign of progress," he added. INS Rajput is the first Kashin II class guided missile destroyer. The guided missile frigate, INS Betwa, is a modern warship with capabilities to carry out maritime operations.