Chief of Indonesian Navy Admiral Ade Supandi speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) Jakarta (VNA) – The third MultilateralNaval Exercise Komodo 2018 (MNEK 2018) began on Lombok island in Indonesia’sWest Nusa Tenggara on May 5.
The biennial event aims to strengthen friendship, build trust, and enhancecoordination capacity among naval forces in humanitarian assistance andsettlement of maritime security matters.
Themed “Readiness and Cooperation for Respondingto Humanitarian and Disaster Relief Contingencies,” the Komodo drill 2018is expected to promote collaboration among countries in the field, especiallyin giving early warnings to prevent disasters, mitigate damages, and increaseemergency rescue.
Participating naval officers witnessed traditionalperformances such as parachuting, aircraft demonstration, and internationalfleet review with the participation of 50 ships of all kinds from countries,including Hospital Ship 561 of the Vietnam People’s Navy.
The Komodo exercise was initiated in 2014. Thisyear’s event attracted naval representatives from 36 countries includingMalaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka,China, Russia, Japan, France, the US, the UK, the Netherlands, among others.
The same day, the Vietnamese delegation joined amass parade in the Lombok region with street art performances and traditionaldances reflecting the life of local people.
The drill is scheduled to run until May 9.-VNA
VNA
