German warship docks in Mumbai; envoy stresses on free sea routes

German Navy`s Frigate Bayern `F217` arrives in Mumbai on Friday. Pic/ ANI

German naval frigate FGS Bayern (F217) docked in Mumbai on Friday even as the European country's Ambassador to India said the Indo-Pacific region was of utmost importance and emphasised on free maritime routes.

The warship, whose arrival here indicates strong defence ties between the two nations, was welcomed by an Indian Navy band at a ceremony.

The F123 Brandenburg class frigate will dock in Mumbai for a day and also conduct a passing exercise with the Indian Navy, officials added.

Germany's Ambassador to India Walter Lindner said his country and more and more European nations were convinced that the Indo-Pacific was one of the most important regions on the planet.

Sixty per cent of international trade goes through the Strait of Malacca and through the area, 50 per cent of the world's population lives here, 50 per cent of the world's GDP comes from this area, and three of the biggest economies - the US, China and Japan - are placed around this Pacific, the envoy noted.

"But on the other side, we have regional tensions. We have at least three nuclear powers here. So it is important you have free maritime, shipping routes, and on the other side, you have a peaceful area with stability, the stability where conflicts are solved with mutual understanding. That's the message of our guidelines, which we brought out a year ago," Lindner told PTI.

"This ship's visit shows that we are not just talking," he added.

The Indian Ocean Region has been witnessing increasing Chinese assertiveness, especially in the South China Sea. In 2020, Germany unveiled its policy guidelines on the Indo-Pacific.

Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schönbach, the chief of the German Navy, is currently in New Delhi for high-level consultations with senior Indian officials.

Referring to Schönbach's visit to Delhi, the envoy said, "We have our head of Navy here. Yesterday, he was seeing his counterpart. They had a close exchange with the foreign secretary and military authorities. This shows our highest Navy officer speaks to your highest Navy officer while the frigate is here in Mumbai. This is not by chance that it is happening at the same time."

Bayern's visit to Mumbai marks the last stop of the frigate's deployment in the Indo-Pacific region, where it has been since August last year on a patrol and training mission, during which it has made port calls in various countries, the German embassy said.

Another important part of the vessel's mandate was to provide support to international maritime security missions like 'Operation Sea Guardian' in the Mediterranean Sea and 'Atlanta' in the Arabian Sea.

The ship helped enforce the UN administered arms embargo against Democratic People's Republic of Korea prior to its journey through the South China Sea. It also participated in joint naval exercises with partners such as India, Australia and Japan, the embassy added.

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