A key moment of diplomatic engagement unfolded this week in the Eastern Caribbean, as Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne formally hosted the commanding officer of India’s sail training ship INS Sudarshini during the vessel’s scheduled five-day port call to the twin-island nation.
Per official confirmation from India’s High Commission based in Guyana, Commander Ravikanth Nandoori, the lead officer overseeing the INS Sudarshini mission, held a formal courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Browne between May 27 and May 31, the full duration of the ship’s stay in Antiguan waters.
Diplomatic discussions during the gathering centered on the deep, decades-long friendly relations that have existed between the governments and peoples of Antigua and Barbuda and India. Prime Minister Browne opened the meeting by extending warm gratitude for the goodwill visit, emphasizing his appreciation for the consistent development support and collaborative assistance that the Government of India has extended to Antigua and Barbuda over the years. He reiterated that the Caribbean nation openly welcomes Indian naval vessels and deepened bilateral engagement, reinforcing the open and productive partnership between the two states.
In response, Commander Nandoori extended his own thanks to the Antigua and Barbuda government for the seamless logistical cooperation and warm hospitality extended to the ship and its 100-plus crew members throughout their time on shore.
This port call is not an isolated journey: it forms a core segment of the INS Sudarshini’s international deployment under the Indian Navy’s flagship Lokayan 2025 initiative, a global maritime diplomacy program designed to expand practical maritime cooperation between India and partner nations across the world, while building people-to-people goodwill across maritime borders.
As one of the Indian Navy’s premiere purpose-built sail training vessels, the INS Sudarshini has a long track record of participating in long-distance international voyages and public diplomatic outreach missions across every major ocean basin, carrying India’s message of collaborative maritime security and friendship to ports across the globe.