Without India’s consent US Navy conducts 'Freedom Of Navigation' operation near Lakshadweep Islands

New Delhi, Apr 09: The US Navy's 7th Fleet said that it conducted Freedom of Navigation Operations within India's exclusive economic zone off the Lakshadweep Islands without India's permission.

A statement by the US 7th Fleet Public Affairs read, "on April 7, 2021 (local time), the USS John Paul Jones asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands, inside India's exclusive economic zone, without requesting India's prior consent, consistent with international law. India requires prior consent for military exercises or manoeuvres in its exclusive economic zone or continental shelf, a claim inconsistent with international law."

"We conduct routine and regular Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs), as we have done in the past and will continue to in the future. FONOPs are not about one country, nor are they about making political statements," the statement also read.