India, Maldives discuss promoting exchanges between armed forces

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – India and the Maldives have agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including in the areas of defense trade, capacity building, and joint exercises, besides the need to promote exchanges between the armed forces of both countries, a joint statement has said.

Indian defense chief Rajnath Singh arrived in the Maldives capital Male on May 1, on the invitation of his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Didi, the Indian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

The visit saw the laying of the foundation stone for the Maldives National Defense Force Coast Guard "Ekatha Harbour" by Singh and Didi.

"The development of the Coastguard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the biggest grant-in-aid projects of India," the statement noted, adding that an additional Landing Craft was also gifted by the Indian defense minister.

"The handing over of these vessels is in line with India's vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region that seeks to work together with and jointly develop the capabilities of friends and partners for a safe, secure, prosperous, and stable Indian Ocean Region," it said.

The ministers held bilateral talks to enhance defense cooperation and strengthen the longstanding partnership between India and the Maldives.

"They discussed a wide range of regional and global security issues of mutual concern, and agreed to deepen their cooperation in the defense and security domains," the statement said.

Stating that both the ministers reaffirmed the importance of "maintaining peace, stability, and security in the region and recognized the need to work together to address common security challenges," the ministers "underscored the importance of respecting international law and rules-based international order and expressed their commitment to upholding these principles.

"They also discussed the need to promote people-to-people contacts and exchanges between the armed forces of both countries," it said.

After witnessing bitter relations between India and the Maldives before 2018 -- when Abdulla Yameen was the Maldivian president -- over the years, the bilateral cooperation has seen a boost as President Ibrahim Solih took over the presidency in 2018.

However, the opposition parties have accused the Solih government of “allowing Indian boots on the ground.” The charge has been denied by the government.

In 2020, the opposition coalition of the Maldives and critics launched the "India Out" campaign in the country, during which the nation then saw anti-India protests as well, according to several media reports.

In April 2022, Solih issued a decree banning the campaign, terming it a “threat to national security,” Maldives news outlet Sun reported earlier.

According to a research paper by the Indian think tank Observer Research Foundation, as Solih took over the presidency in 2018, he "sought to undo the political and economic damage caused to India-Maldives relations by his predecessor."

"Although limited to certain sections of the Maldivian polity, the campaign has fueled anti-India public sentiments, in turn becoming consequential to India-Maldives relations," it said.