INS Delhi is one of the two warships slated to visit Qatar from September 14 to 17.

Two warships of Indian Navy’s Western Fleet - INS Delhi and INS Trishul - will make a goodwill visit to Qatar from September 14 to 17, the Indian embassy in Doha has said.
Indian naval ships Deepak, Delhi, Tabar and Trishul are on a month-long deployment to the GCC region to enhance bilateral ties and engage in naval exercises with friendly regional navies.
In a statement, the embassy said it “deeply appreciates the support of Qatar’s government and the Qatar Emiri Navy in arranging the visit of the Indian naval ships”.
During the visit, the warships will have professional interactions for enhancing co-operation and sharing the nuances of naval operations, including disaster management and combating maritime threats of terrorism and piracy.
Apart from professional interactions, sports and social engagements are also planned, which are aimed at enhancing friendship and co-operation between the navies.
The visiting ships form part of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet and are based in Mumbai.
INS Delhi is the lead ship of her class of guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. The ship was commissioned on November 15, 1997. This class is among the largest warships to be designed and built in India.
Commissioned on June 25, 2003, INS Trishul is the second ship of the
Talwar-class frigates of the Indian Navy.
Bilateral relations between India and Qatar have traditionally focused on economic and people-to-people linkages. The last decade has witnessed steady growth in defence relations between the two countries, which was further strengthened by the Defence Co-operation Agreement signed in November 2008.
The setting up of the India-Qatar Joint Defence Co-operation Committee (JDCC) has enhanced co-operation in the fields of training, strategic study, conduct of exercises and information sharing. The JDCC has held four meetings so far; its last meeting was held in New Delhi on January 6.
The growing naval co-operation between India and Qatar is further demonstrated by the increased high-level visits in addition to training of naval officers and port visits by naval ships.
India and Qatar are also members of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, a voluntary and co-operative initiative among 35 countries of the Indian Ocean region, which has served as a useful forum for sharing of information and co-operation on maritime issues.
“The visit of INS Delhi and INS Trishul would further strengthen the deep-rooted bonds of friendship between India and Qatar, and defence co-operation between the two countries,” the statement noted.
The Indian Navy has close and friendly ties with all navies in the Gulf and has been regularly exercising with many of them.

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