NEW DELHI - Turkish Navy warships - three frigates and one tanker - are scheduled to arrive in India on July 7 for joint sea exercises planned during last month's visit of India's Navy chief, Chief Adm. Nirmal Verma, to Turkey.
The four Turkish ships, arriving from the Pakistani port city of Karachi, will begin anti-submarine warfare and coordinated attack drills July 10 with and Indian Navy destroyer and two Beas-class frigates, an Indian Navy official said.
While the two countries do not share a border, India considers Turkey part of the extended neighborhood of Central Asia, western Asia and the Arabian Gulf, an Indian Foreign Ministry official said.
India has been building bridges with central Asian countries, and Defence Minister A.K. Antony visited Kyrgyzstan early this week.
"India can take advantage of Turkey's influence in West Asia, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea and Europe by building bridges with Istanbul," said defense analyst Mahindra Singh, a retired Indian Army major general.
Indo-Turkish trade, now about $4 billion per year, is expected to rise as the two countries are negotiating opening their markets further, the Indian Foreign Ministry official said.
India and Turkey initiated military ties in 2008.
No comments:
Post a Comment