Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel had also expressed gratitude in a post on X to which External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded by saying, “That’s what friends are for.”
PM reaffirms India's commitment to combating piracy, terrorism in Indian Ocean
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasised India’s commitment to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.
The PM’s view was reflected in his response to Bulgarian President Rumen Radev thanking the Indian leader after the Indian Navy rescued seven Bulgarians who were part of a crew that was held hostage by pirates aboard the MV Ruen, which was hijacked around 1,400 nautical miles from the Indian coast.
“Appreciate your message, President of the Republic of Bulgaria. We are happy that 7 Bulgarian nationals are safe and will be returning home soon. India is committed to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region,” Mr Modi wrote in a social media post on X.
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Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel had also expressed gratitude in a post on X to which External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar responded by saying, “That’s what friends are for.”
In an operation spanning over 40 hours, the Indian Navy got 35 pirates to surrender and rescued all the 17 crew members without any injuries.
For the operation, the Navy deployed its P-8I aircraft, INS Kolkata and INS Subhadra, and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The MARCOS commandos were air-dropped for the operation by C-17 aircraft.
“The vessel MV Ruen was hijacked by Somali pirates on December 14 last year and was reported to have sailed out as a pirate ship towards conducting acts of piracy on the high seas,” the Navy said in a statement.
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