In a boost for sea diplomacy, an Indian Navy fast attack craft, INS Kalpeni, has arrived at Gan in the Addu Atoll, marking a significant step in the ongoing maritime engagement between India and the Maldives. In another trip, Navy’s INS Sudarshini arrived at Las Palmas in Canary Islands on April 23, as part of her ongoing transoceanic deployment.Emphasising the strategic importance of the arrival, the high commission of India in the Maldives, said that “this visit underscores our deep-rooted friendly ties and multi-faceted defence cooperation”. Reinforcing this regional outreach under the ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, India previously marked a significant maritime milestone in the Maldives when INS Sunayna arrived in the capital, Male, on April 6. This earlier arrival was part of the IOS SAGAR initiative.In another trip, the port call by INS Sudarshini to the Canary Islands marks the maiden visit of an Indian naval ship to the Spanish archipelago. The stopover serves as a strategic pause before the ship embarks on her ambitious trans-Atlantic passage. During the visit, the commanding officer of INS Sudarshini is scheduled to hold professional interactions with Spanish naval authorities. Strengthening people-to-people ties, the ship will also be open to visitors for the local Spanish community and the Indian diaspora, the statement said. It underlined that the visit underscores growing maritime cooperation and engagement between the Indian Navy and the Spanish Navy.
