India concerned over US warship near Lakshadweep
April 09, 2021 19:11
New Delhi has expressed concerns to Washington using diplomatic channels over the recent passage of a US warship through Indias exclusive economic zone near Lakshadweep islands, the external affairs ministry said on Friday.
The statement came hours after it emerged that the 7th Fleet of the US Navy had sent a warship 130 nautical miles (about 224 kilometres) west of Lakshadweep to assert navigational rights and freedoms a move experts described as unnecessary at a time when ties between Washington and New Delhi were on the upswing.
The Government of Indias stated position on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is that the Convention does not authorise other States to carry out in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the continental shelf, military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal state, a statement by India said.
The 7th Fleet maintains that it conducts routine and regular Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs), which are not about one country, nor are they about making political statements.
The foreign ministry statement added: The USS John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits (the main shipping channel between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean). We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the Government of U.S.A through diplomatic channels.
To be sure, this was not the first time that a US warship passed through Indias EEZ without permission. But what is unusual is the 7th Fleets aggressive press note. U.S. Forces operate in the Indo-Pacific region on a daily basis. All operations are designed in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, the note said.
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