Eight months after the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives soured relations between the two South Asian neighbours, a New Delhi visit by Maldivian Defence Minister Mohammed Ghassan Maumoon endeavours for a revival of defense ties.
During a meeting held on Wednesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held high-level deliberations with his Maldivian counterpart on a range of initiatives to enhance the defense preparedness of the Indian Ocean archipelago. Singh assured India of strengthening defense ties with the Maldives.
A press statement after the talks listed a variety of subjects that were discussed during the meeting, with a consensus on the common objective of achieving a comprehensive economic and maritime security partnership between India and the Maldives. The two leaders extensively reviewed several aspects of bilateral defense and security cooperation.
Singh underlined India’s commitment to supporting the Maldives in enhancing its defense capabilities, including military assets and platforms to enhance security preparedness. He underlined New Delhi’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy and its strategic vision for the Indian Ocean region.
The recent diplomatic engagement comes as the Maldives seeks to mend ties with India, which suffered after President Mohamed Muizzu adopted a pro-China stance following his electoral victory. This shift had the potential of damaging a long-standing cultural relationship and decades-old bilateral ties.
No sooner was he elected than President Muizzu called for the withdrawal of all Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives for civil assistance on the plea that the nation had to retain full control over its territories, including the maritime and aerial domains.
He said in February 2024 that the first lot of the Indian military personnel would go back to New Delhi before March 10, 2024, with remaining personnel ordered to withdraw by May 10. A total of 88 Indian military personnel were in the Maldives then and were mainly involved in operating two helicopters and an aircraft that have conducted hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian sorties.
Reports stated that the Maldives instead showed eagerness for help from China. Significantly, on January 23, 2024, the Maldives allowed the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 to visit Male port for replenishment on the condition that it would not conduct research during its stay within Maldivian waters.
President Muizzu also broke with tradition and did not make New Delhi his first port of call following his assumption of the presidency. The first visit was in October 2024, almost a year since his election.
An attempt has been made to mend the frayed ties between the Maldives and India since the recent visit, marked by visits from both the Maldivian Foreign Minister and Defence Minister to New Delhi.
