KARACHI: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi visited foreign ships of navies participating in 7th Multinational Naval Exercise AMAN-21.
Upon his arrival on board foreign visiting ships, the Naval Chief was warmly welcomed by senior officers/ commanding Officers and was presented Guard of Honour by smartly dressed out contingents.
The Naval Chief visited Indonesian Navy Ship KRI BUNG TUMO, Russian Navy Ship ADMIRAL GRIGOROVICH and Sri Lankan Navy Ship GAJABAHU, amongst the platforms participating in Multinational Naval Exercise AMAN-21.
The admiral interacted with senior officers/ commanding Officers and was given briefings on board ships. During interactions, the Admiral highlighted that Pakistan as a responsible maritime state is persistently contributing in peace and stability in the region. AMAN Exercise demonstrates Pakistan’s commitment to peace, reinforce regional maritime security and enhance interoperability between regional and extra regional navies.
The Naval Chief further expressed that camaraderie generated herein will grow in future and shall bring us closer to the mutual goal of peace and prosperity and appreciated their participation in AMAN Exercise to fulfill common resolve of “Together for Peace”.
The Senior Officers/ Commanding Officers of the respective ships highly acknowledged the persistent efforts of Pakistan Navy to bring global navies towards shared commitment of maritime peace, stability and lawful order at sea.
During the other activities of the day, three-days International Maritime Conference (IMC-21) was organized on the theme of ‘Development of Blue Economy under a Secure and Sustainable Environment: A Shared Future for Western Indian Ocean Region’ by National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) under the auspices of Pakistan Navy. The President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi graced the Opening Session of IMC as Chief Guest.
Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi was also present on the occasion. The Chief Guest underlined that government is cognizant of the importance of blue economy and has initiated major policy reforms to support the maritime industry and maritime stakeholders. The President also appreciated Pakistan Navy for actively promoting maritime thought in the country and spearheading efforts for the development of Blue Economy in the country. The Naval Chief highlighted Pakistan Navy’s efforts for promoting maritime awareness and the Blue Economy through a variety of initiatives and in enhancing regional maritime security through its contributions in international and regional collaborative security mechanisms.
Friendly sports matches between officers and men of participating countries and Pakistan Navy were also held during the day. In order to provide an opportunity to observe the varied cultures of contributing countries, an International Food Gala and Cultural Show was also organized for officers and sailors showcasing food stalls and cultural items. Personnel from participating navies, observers, foreign diplomats and senior officials of Pakistan Armed Forces attended the event.