The visit was an opportunity for the delegation to see how the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) works in practice and to strengthen operational relations between India and ATALANTA.
Rota, 05 September – On 04 September 2024, Senior Indian officials from the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Defence visited the Operation ATALANTA Headquarters in Rota, Spain.
Facilitated by the EU Delegation to India and the EU co-funded Enhancing Security Cooperation In and with Asia (ESIWA) project, the visit aimed to familiarise Indian officials with the EU's security and defence mechanisms while exploring potential cooperation in Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and in the Indo-Pacific. The visit to Rota was the second part of the delegation’s trip of the European institutions. This crucial immersion in the OHQ enabled the group to understand how the CSDP is implemented in practice.
The Indian delegation was led by Ms. Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary, Disarmament and International Security Affairs Division, MEA, and accompanied by Captain (Navy) Fabrizio Falzi, Defence Attaché of the EU Delegation to India. On the ATALANTA side, the delegation was headed by Operation Commander Vice Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano.
During the visit, Vice Admiral Villanueva briefed the Indian Delegation on the functioning, tasks and objectives of the Operation, also both parties exchanged ideas on how to improve and strengthen operational relations between India and ATALANTA.
In this line, in August 2023, the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA flagship, ITS Durand De La Penne conducted a joint activity at sea with the Indian destroyer INS Visakhapatnam in the framework of the EU’s strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
