Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, Commander of Iran’s Navy, met with 25 military attachés Sunday night from Armenia, Brazil, Italy, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Japan, Greece, Germany, Austria, Poland, Bulgaria, Oman, Syria, China, Tajikistan, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, India, Ukraine, Slovakia, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Russia, North Korea and Poland.
The meeting was organized for the commemoration of national Navy Day on Nov. 28, aimed at expanding constructive interaction between Iranian Armed Forces and friendly and ally countries.
While addressing the attachés, Admiral Khanzadi highlighted the Navy’s advancement in domestic manufacture despite the extensive military sanctions imposed on the country, noting the Naval Forces’ constant and effective presence on open seas at an international scale.
“The ability of the Islamic Republic of Iran in establishing security in sea areas under the rule and with cooperation of neighboring countries has been proven,” Khanzadi stressed.
He went on to add, “the Navy has provided a platform for the development and consolidation of relations with neighboring and ally countries by sending peace and friendship fleets to the Atlantic, Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea and the Caspian Sea.”
“Iran’s Navy believes that the security of the region can only be maintained by the neighboring countries and there is no need for the presence of foreign forces there,” he said.
Admiral Khanzadi further noted that Iran would be hosting the 6th Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) in 2018.
The IONS is a security construct for the Indian Ocean region which provides a forum to increase maritime security cooperation among the member states. The IONS has 23 members including Iran, India, Oman, France, South Africa, Australia and Thailand. There are nine states with observer status, including China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Madagascar, Malaysia, Netherlands, Russia and Spain.
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