The Ministry of Defense has repudiated international reports that Vietnam was one of the countries participating in joint-military exercises organized by the Indian Navy from February 1-6.

Vu Chien Thang, chief of the ministry’s Diplomatic Department, said Vietnam did not attend the Milan exercise as an observer, either.

According to Thang, the source of the mistaken reports was yet to be known.

The ministry has been unable to reach the Indian Embassy in Hanoi to learn more about the situation and India’s defense attaché was not currently in Vietnam, he said.

Previously, Indian media reported that 14 countries of the Asia-Pacific region, including Vietnam, would take part in the exercises organized off the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

A report in New Dehli quoted local officials as saying that the exercises would be focused on maritime terrorism, piracy and poaching, as well as practicing for humanitarian missions, such as search and rescue operations, and “capacity building.”

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