Indian Government strictly prompts US after their Navy Warship entered Indian Waters claiming its ‘freedom’

Days after the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), had carried out a Freedom of Navigation operation west of Lakshadweep Islands, “inside India’s exclusive economic zone, without requesting India’s prior consent, consistent with international law”.

Unsurprisingly, Delhi gave a supine response to the Pentagon, India had put forth their concerns through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and in Washington DC.

Ministry of External Affairs issued an official statement regarding this matter on Friday. The statement read, “The USS John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits. We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the Government of the USA through diplomatic channels. “But make no mistake, nothing is ever incidental in international relation.

What can be noticed as a projection of power by the US, has been called out a “consistent” exercise with international law, by the US authorities?

“I can tell you is that the USS John Paul Jones, a Navy destroyer, asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the vicinity of the Republic of the Maldives by conducting innocent passage through its territorial sea in normal operations within its exclusive economic zone without requesting prior permission,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said.

This comes at a time when military cooperation between India and the US is on the rise. Their navies were involved in a joint exercise, along with navies of Japan, France, and Australia in the eastern Indian Ocean region.

Both India and the US are engaged in efforts through diplomatic channels to dial down temperatures. The Pentagon’s official announcement regarding the operation was unusual, causing an international stir and needs to be dealt with seriousness by the Indian government.