The head of the Indonesian Navy's Public Affairs Office, First Admiral Tunggul, stated that the transit of KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai-332 through several countries on its return journey from a military exercise in Vladivostok, Russia, was not a combat exercise. Tunggul said the activity was a common practice conducted between navies when a ship passes through a region.
"Passing exercise is a form of interaction to build communication, trust, good relations, and a spirit of friendship between navies, while supporting Indonesia's maritime diplomacy," Tunggul said in a written statement on Wednesday (12/8).
Tunggul added that the conduct of passing exercises is in line with the basic principles of Indonesia's foreign policy of being free and active, which is to open up cooperation, communication, and partnership openly and in a balanced manner with all countries without siding with any bloc of geopolitical powers. According to the official, passing exercises are a universal naval tradition when transiting through the territorial waters of a country and represent a form of goodwill engagement and maritime diplomacy inherent to warships.
On its return voyage from Vladivostok in eastern Russia, KRI I Gusti Ngurah Rai will conduct a maritime passage through the waters of several countries such as Japan, South Korea, China, and several Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines or Vietnam, depending on the route selected.
