Visakhapatnam: Pointing out that International Fleet Review 2016 brought together navies from across the globe, President Pranab Kumar Mukherjee said that the event has enabled India to join hands with other nations to secure our seas for the good of the humanity.
“IFR 2016 reflects our desire to use the seas to promote peace and friendship,” he said while addressing the fleet from the presidential yacht INS Sumitra.
Mr Mukherjee said that India’s geographical location besides major shipping routes of the Indian Ocean gives it a pivotal role. "Considering the globalised nature of today's political and economic environment it is our belief that the maritime domain requires navies across the world to re-focus their efforts to counter the rising tide of non-traditional maritime challenges in the brown, green and blue waters across all oceans. The Indian Navy, accordingly, has realigned its maritime strategy, to reflect the changes in the evolving global environment and has established a credible record of cooperative initiatives to promote stability of the oceans and played a central role in ensuring safety of the vital sea lines of communication, across the Indian Ocean," he said.
