Indian, French navies 'fully engaged' in operations to aid people facing COVID-19 pandemic ordeal: Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain

New Delhi [India], May 7 (ANI): Indian and French navies are fully engaged in the Samudra Setu and Resilience operations respectively to aid the people facing the ordeal of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Embassy of France here on Thursday.
"From Varuna drills to joint maritime surveillance, navies maintain their cooperation efforts, a cornerstone of our #strategicpartnership. They are fully engaged in Samudra Setu & Resilience ops respectively, aiding people facing #COVID19 pandemic ordeal #ThrowbackThursday," tweeted Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain.
"In 2020, the two navies continue to maintain their cooperation efforts, which are a cornerstone of the strategic partnership between France and India," said the French Embassy.
The Indian Navy's amphibious warship, INS Jalashwa, arrived in Male on Thursday to bring back 1,000 Indian citizens, who have been stranded in the island nation.
The repatriation process is a part of the Navy's 'Operation Samudra Setu' and is progressing in close coordination with the Ministries of Defence, External Affairs, Home Affairs, Health and various other agencies of the Government of India and State governments.
Another warship INS Magar is also on way to the Maldives.
The French Embassy recalled that a year ago on May 7, 2019, the 17th edition of Varuna, the Indo-French naval exercise, was kicked off on an "unprecedented scale."
"Twelve vessels were involved in the tri-dimensional air, surface and underwater drills. Reaching a decisive phase in interoperability, it heralded a joint maritime surveillance mission to be conducted in the French Exclusive Economic Zone in February 2020 with an Indian patrol aircraft and a French surveillance frigate," said the French Embassy.
The bilateral naval exercise initiated in 1983 and christened as 'Varuna' in 2001, form a vital part of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
The Varuna exercise aims at developing interoperability between the two navies and fostering mutual cooperation by learning from each other's best practices to conduct joint operations. (ANI)