New Delhi
India on Friday objected to a US Navy ship conducting a “freedom of navigation” patrol in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without its prior consent.
“We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the government of USA through diplomatic channels,” India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
The US 7th Fleet said in a statement earlier that the USS John Paul Jones on Wednesday “asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands, inside India’s EEZ, without requesting India’s prior consent, consistent with international law”.—APP