Indian Navy is playing a key role in supporting a free, open, rule-based and inclusive Indo-Pacific region where no country gets excluded, chief of the Indian Navy Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday. The Navy will remain persistent and patient in its efforts while ensuring a regular presence in the wider Indo-Pacific region, Kumar added.
Addressing a session on 'Indo-Pacific Challenges and Way Ahead' at the Synergia Conclave, Kumar said the Indian Navy acts as a uniting force for bringing friends together to exchange views and address the common concerns for holistic maritime security.
«We are traversing through a very contested present into an uncertain future. Bhartiya Nausena (Indian Navy), for its part, will remain persistent and patient in our efforts while ensuring a regular presence in the wider Indo-Pacific,» he said.
He said safe and secure seas become an imperative if the Indian Navy have to secure India and the Indo-Pacific region's interest.
«We recognise that no one can do it alone, and we need to collaborate with like-minded partners. Bhartiya Nausena is collaborating and cooperating with like-minded navies to strengthen collective maritime competence,» Kumar said.
He reiterated the Navy's commitment to an inclusive Indo-Pacific, saying, «We support a free, open, rule-based, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region where no country should be excluded».