Indian Navy calls at Surabaya

Indian Navy calls at Surabaya

INDONESIA: The Indian Naval Ship Tir will be in Surabaya, East
Java, on a visit from Friday through Sunday to improve relations
between the two countries' navies.

The ship is on a two-month training cruise under the command
of Col. Rajeev Girotra.

During their stay in Surabaya, Indian naval officers would
hold talks with their Indonesian counterparts at the Navy Eastern
Fleet Command headquarters and Surabaya Naval Base, the Indian
Embassy in Jakarta said.

Indian Navy officers are also scheduled to visit the Indonesian
Naval Academy.

The Tir, a 3,000-ton, 106-meter long training ship, will be
open to members of the Indonesian Navy and schoolchildren.

From Surabaya, the Tir, which has visited Benoa, Bali and
Cairns in Australia, will call at several other ports in the
region before returning to its base in Kochin, India.

Indonesia and India signed a defense cooperation agreement in
2001 to combat maritime piracy, smuggling and transnational
crime. The two fleets conduct joint patrols, exercises and
regular naval exchanges. -- JP