Following the successful mission of the Indian warship INS Kolkata, which led to the surrender of 35 pirates aboard the pirate ship MV Ruen, PM Narendra Modi on Tuesday stated that India is “committed” to safeguarding the freedom of navigation and combating terrorism and piracy in the Indian Ocean region.
PM Modi responded to a post by President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria Rumen Radev. In a post on X, Radev said “”My sincere gratitude to PM Narendra Modi for the brave action of Indian Navy rescuing the hijacked Bulgarian ship “Ruen” and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian citizens.”
Reposting the post, PM Modi said “Appreciate your message President PresidentOfBg. 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.”
On Saturday, the Indian Air Force’s C-17 aircraft did a precise airborne drop of two boats, accompanied by Indian Navy MARCOS, in the Arabian Sea to help in the ongoing anti-piracy mission called “Operation Sankalp.”
Earlier, responding to Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel for thanking the Indian Navy for saving seven Bulgarian nationals in an anti-piracy operation in the Arabian Sea. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that it is what exactly friends are for. In a post on X, the minister said, “That’s what friends are for,”
On X, the Bulgarian Foreign minister stated, “I express my gratitude to the Indian navy for the successful operation to rescue the hijacked vessel Ruen &its crew members, including 7 BG nationals. Thank you for support &great effort. We continue to work together to protect lives of the crew.”
The Indian Navy stated in an official statement that the Indian warship INS Kolkata successfully cornered and coerced all 35 pirates to surrender on Saturday, ensuring the safety of all 17 crew members from the pirate vessel without any injuries. The rescue operation lasted for 40 hours, and INS Kolkata intercepted the under-pirate ship “Ruen,” sailing almost 26000 km from the shores of the Indian Coast, and forced the ship to stop through efforts.
