- Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi assured Radev that the seven Bulgarian nationals rescued from the hijacked ship were safe and would return to their homeland soon.
By: indiaweekly.biz Staff
INDIAN president Droupadi Murmu recently received a call from her Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev who conveyed his gratitude over the Indian Navy’s rescue of a hijacked Bulgarian ship and its crew that included seven Bulgarian nationals.
“President Droupadi Murmu received a telephone call from President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria @PresidentOfBg, who conveyed his gratitude for the Indian Navy’s rescue of the hijacked Bulgarian Vessel MV Ruen and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian nationals. The two leaders agreed to further strengthen the India-Bulgaria partnership based on shared values and interests,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of Murmu, said on X.
On March 16, more than 30 Somali pirates onboard the Maltese-flagged bulk cargo ship MV Ruen surrendered following “sustained pressure” and coordinated efforts undertaken by navy personnel for nearly two days. All 17 crew members were safely evacuated from the vessel and there was no report of injury.
President Droupadi Murmu received a telephone call from President Rumen Radev of Bulgaria @PresidentOfBg, who conveyed his gratitude for Indian Navy's rescue of the hijacked Bulgarian Vessel MV Ruen and its crew, including 7 Bulgarian nationals. The two leaders agreed to further…
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) March 20, 2024
The pirates had hijacked the ship last December and had been using it to hijack other vessels passing through the region. The Indian Navy intercepted the ship on Saturday (17) around 2,600 kilometres off the Indian coast and the operation included use of drones, navy vessels and marine commandos. The pirates were taken to India for trials — something that happened for the first time.
“INS Kolkata had carried out the interception of the Pirate Ship Ruen almost 1,400 nm (2,600km) from the Indian Coast and forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions which were augmented by INS Subhadra, HALE RPA, P8I maritime patrol aircraft and MARCOS PRAHARs air-dropped by C-17 aircraft,” the Navy said in a statement.
The Indian Navy has engaged in a number of piracy incidents of late, including in January and February, its personnel rescued several Iranian and Pakistani nationals.
Ahead of the presidents’ talks, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi assured Radev that the seven Bulgarian nationals rescued from the hijacked ship were safe and would return to their homeland soon. His response came a day after the Bulgarian leader thanked the former for the “brave action of the Indian Navy”.
Appreciate your message President @PresidentOfBg . We are happy that 7 Bulgarian nationals are safe and will be returning home soon. India is committed to protecting freedom of navigation and combating piracy and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region. https://t.co/nIUaY6UJjP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 19, 2024
Before the president, Bulgarian foreign minister Mariya Gabriel acknowledged and appreciated the Indian Navy for carrying out the rescue operation on Saturday through her X handle.
Her Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar responded saying, “That’s what friends are for.”
