Indian Navy defers multi-nation exercise MILAN 2020 over coronavirus scare

In the wake of the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country, the Indian Navy has decided to postpone its multilateral naval exercise Milan 2020 scheduled to begin from March 18 in Visakhapatnam.

“It is for information that MILAN 2020 – a multilateral naval exercise scheduled to be conducted by the Indian Navy from 18 to 28 Mar 20, at Visakhapatnam, has been postponed taking into consideration the safety of all participants and travel restrictions imposed by the spread of COVID-19,” an official statement said.

India’s biggest maritime exercise which features over 40 countries has differed after the confirmed cases of COVID-19 rose to 7 within 48 hours.

“The conduct of MILAN 2020 had generated a very enthusiastic response, with Navies around the world having expressed their desire to participate; and in deference to this interest, the Indian Navy looks forward toward scheduling MILAN at a later convenient date,” it added.

The multi-nation naval drills, which started in 1995 and was conducted in Port Blair at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands until 2018, was earlier to conclude on March 28 but the new dates have not been announced yet.

“The Indian Navy would like to wholeheartedly thank the numerous navies from near and far for having accepted their invitation to participate in MILAN 2020, as also for the unstinted support provided in the run-up to this event,” the statement said.

India had sent out invitations to several countries, including Indonesia, France, Mozambique, Sudan, Israel, Qatar, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, Somalia, Kenya, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar, New Zealand, the US, Tanzania, Comoros, Maldives, Brunei, Philippines, Japan, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Mauritius, Cambodia, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Kuwait, Iran, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Russia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Bahrain, UAE, and Seychelles, some of which have reported a rise in the number of confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus.

According to the latest reports, the novel coronavirus which has claimed more than 3,000 lives globally has also renewed its tentacles in India with an Italian tourist and his wife being tested positive with the COVID-19 on Tuesday (March 3).