The Opening Ceremony of the biennial Multilateral Naval Exercise, #MILAN22 was held at Visakhapatnam on 26 February 2022. The Chief Guest for the event was Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri, Shri Ajay Bhatt. The event was attended by Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff as well as Ambassadors, High Commissioners, Chiefs of Navies, Delegation Heads of participating countries and the Commanding Officers and crew of all participating ships. A Special Day Cover and a movie on the MILAN exercise was released by the Chief Guest to mark the occasion. The eleventh edition of MILAN is being hosted by the #ENC at Vishakhapatnam for the first time. All previous editions have been held at Port Blair under the aegis of the Tri-Service Andaman and Nicobar Command. The participation from #FriendlyForeignCountries includes 13 ships, 39 delegations and one Maritime Patrol Aircraft. This large congregation gives significance and potency to the word ‘MILAN’, which means “meeting” or “confluence” in Hindi. MILAN endeavours to promote #Camaraderie, #Cohesion, #Collaboration between like-minded Navies. This is aimed to be achieved by professional interaction and experience sharing in harbour and enhancing interoperability, including multilateral operations, at sea. The harbour phase of the exercise will culminate on 28 February 2022, followed by the sea phase from 01 to 04 March 2022. This edition of MILAN is larger and more complex than all previous ones, reflecting India’s growing stature as a responsible and reliable partner in the #maritimedomain, underscoring the Indian Navy’s commitment to #maritimesecurity across the global commons. The goals of MILAN are aligned with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of #SAGAR – Security And Growth for All in the Region. MILAN 22 will play a vital role in establishing regional synergy for achieving peace and prosperity through cooperation and collaboration. As a part of the harbour phase, a MILAN village has been set up that would provide a glimpse of Indian culture to the visitors, showcasing Indian handicraft, cuisine and art, especially from the state of #AndhraPradesh. #IndianNavy #ltcdrpravinsuryaask https://www.instagram.com/p/CaeLv9GltRu/?utm_medium=tumblr