India excludes China, Turkey from naval exercise for backing Pakistan
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New Delhi: The Indian Navy informed that China and Turkey are excluded from India’s major international naval exercise, planned for 2026, for the two nations’ support for Pakistan during the India-Pak conflict following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The mega naval event, named International Fleet Review with the naval exercise, is scheduled for February 2026, and the venue will be Vishakhapatnam, according to PTI. The event will include over 50 navies of the world, including those of Russia and the US. The aim is to demonstrate India's growing maritime prowess amid a fractious geopolitical environment.
“Each and every one of them, whether naval ships or research vessels, is under our watch,” Navy vice chief vice admiral Sanjay Vatsayan said on Friday. “We are aware of their movements.”
Vatsyayan’s announcement follows reports from last September that a Chinese tracking vessel, Yuan Wang-5, was operating in the Indian Ocean.
Vatsyayan said that during the exercise, at any given time, between 40 and 50 foreign ships are operating in the Indian Ocean, a critical global transit route.
Vice Admiral Vatsayan said the Indian Navy has been deployed for dealing with any eventualities following Operation Sindoor, but there has not been any pause in its interactions with foreign countries.
"There is no full stop. We are prepared and deployed for Operation Sindoor. For the rest of our plans, we will continue with them as well. So that's a very simple message," he said when asked what the strategic messages would be from the three upcoming events.
The Vice Admiral said the Indian Navy is keeping a strict vigil over the Indian Ocean and added that "extra-regional powers" are present in the region.
"At any given point of time, we have a minimum of 40 odd ships that are operating in the Indian Ocean region. We are monitoring each and every one of them. We are aware of what they are doing," he said.