Dr Gulbin Sultana
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a three-day official visit to the Maldives on 1 May 2023, at the invitation of his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Ahmed Didi. During the visit, Minister Singh held discussions with Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih, Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and bilateral delegation-level talks with Defence Minister Didi. Minister Singh also attended a formal ceremony to hand over an Offshore Patrol Vessel, along with an assault landing craft and inaugurate the India-assisted development project of the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF) Coast Guard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru.
The main purpose of the Defence Minister’s visit was to review and bolster the longstanding defence cooperation between the two countries.In this context, the visit can be termed as fruitful as all the Maldivian leaders during their official engagement with Minister Rajnath Singh reaffirmed their commitment to further intensify the defence cooperation with India. Maldivian mainstream media describes the visit as “a significant milestone in the relationship between the two countries.”
The discussions held during the official engagements and the Joint Press Communique issued at the end of the visit suggest that the two friendly neighbours are committed to enhancing the peace, security, stability and prosperity of their respective countries and the region by working together to address common security challenges. In these regards, both sides agreed to deepen their cooperation in the defence and security domains as well as expressed their commitment to respect international law and upholding the principle of rules-based international order. The importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas such as counter-terrorism, disaster management, cyber security and maritime security was also underscored during the official deliberations. Both sides agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation in the areas of defence trade, capacity building and joint exercises.
The foundation of a strong defence and security cooperation between the two countries was laid down in 1988 when India launched “Operation Cactus” to provide military assistance to thwart a coup attempt at the request of the government of Maldives. Following the successful completion of “Operation Cactus,” India emerged as a prominent defence partner of the Maldives in terms of strengthening its defence capacity and capability.A Comprehensive Action Plan for Defence was signed between the two countries in April 2016 to consolidate the defence partnership. However, the defence and security ties between the two countries reached a new level of dynamism from 2019 onwards.
The main aspects of India-Maldives defence and security cooperation include training the Maldivian forces; supplying defence equipment, assisting in the development of defence infrastructure, the institutionalisation of bilateral engagement in the realm of defence and security through the Annual Defence Cooperation Dialogue at the level of Defence Secretary and Annual Joint mil‐to‐mil Staff Talks. The two countries also regularly collaborate in the sub-regional and multilateral platforms including IONS, Goa Maritime Conclave, Goa Symposium, joint Coast Guard/Naval exercises – DOSTI, Colombo Security Conclave and so on to strengthen the bonds of friendship and enhance mutual operational capability and cooperation in the region.
India provides the largest number of training opportunities for the MNDF, meeting around 70 per cent of its defence training requirements. India has trained over 1250 MNDF trainees over the past 10 years. MNDF has also been participating in various military-to‐military activities such as sea‐rider programme, adventure camps and sailing regatta. India has offered to depute Mobile Training Teams (MTT) based on MNDF requirements and to train MNDF personnel for UN peacekeeping operations at CUNPK. India has also offered customised training for MNDF Fire and Rescue Service in India.
In its endeavour to strengthen the defence capability, India offered the Maldives a state-of-the-art 260-ton fast attack craft in 2006. Since 2009, the Indian Coast Guard has been carrying out regular sorties over the Maldives to look for suspicious vessels. India supplied two Helicopters and a Dornier aircraft which significantly boosted Maldives’ surveillance capability to foil terrorist and criminal activities at sea. Helicoptersare also being constantly used to transport patients from one island to another at the time of emergency. Pollution dispersants and the oil spill control equipment provided by India have enabled the MNDF Coast Guard to ensure maritime safety.
Key India-assisted infrastructure projects in the Maldives in the defence sector include the Composite Training Centre for MNDF, Coastal Surveillance Radar System (CSRS), construction of new Ministry of Defence Headquarters, Dockyard in UthuruThilaFalhu (UTF) Base, MNDF Coast Guard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru. In February 2021, A US$ 50 million Credit Line Agreement for defence purposes was signed between the two countries.
In addition to MNDF, India has been also assisting the Maldivian police. One of India’s largest grant-funded projects in the Island nation-The National College of Police and Law Enforcement- is expected to assist Maldives Police Service to train its officers and enhance crime-fighting capacities. Additionally, MoU was also signed between Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy and the Maldives police force to develop the police infrastructure across the archipelago.
Since 2019, both countries have emphasised their commitment and support for increased cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere. In this regard a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, Countering Violent Extremism and De-radicalisation was set up between India and the Maldives.
During President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s maiden visit to India in 2019, President Solih and Prime Minister Modi expressed their willingness to safeguard mutual interests in the Indian Ocean region, particularly in the area of maritime security through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building. Some of the important developments in this regard are: the MoU for Cooperation in the Field of Hydrography and the Technical Agreement on Sharing White Shipping Information between the Indian Navy and the MNDFsigned in June 2019. Maldives is well connected with the Information Fusion Centre (IFC), Gurgaon through the CSRSset up by India on all 26 atolls. A Liaison Officer from Maldives is attached to the IFC Gurgaon. These arrangements have not only enhanced Maldives’ Maritime Domain Awareness but also enable the island to meaningfully contribute to the collaborative effort of the regional countries to ensure maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean. The fast patrol vessel, handed over by Rajnath Singh on 2 May is capable of coastal and offshore surveillance at high speeds. This will help Maldives capability to monitor its vast area of maritime domain.
India’s immense contribution to strengthening Maldives’ defence and security capabilities has been highly appreciated and recognised in Maldives.Nonetheless, there does exist an anti-India constituency in the Maldives led by the Opposition coalition of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and PNC combine, which strongly object to strengthening defence ties with India. Their opposition is based on the misperception that India through the defence cooperation agreements is trying to make a military presence in the Island and thus undermining the sovereignty and independence of the Maldives. The PPM-PNC coalition has been spearheading an “Indiaout” movement against the Indian military. On the insistence of the Opposition parties, the Parliament Committee on National Security known as “241 Committee” conducted an enquiry to review three agreements between MNDF and the Indian military including the agreement to develop a dockyard in the UTF base; an agreement to operate a Dornier aircraft; and a hydrographic agreement.
“241 committee” in its report stated that the three agreements between MNDF and the Indian military do not contain any clauses that cause concern to the island nation.Chief of Defence Force Major General Abdulla Shamaal and Defence Minister Mariya Didi during the “241 committee”investigation made it amply clear that the UTF agreement was designed to increase the operational capacity of the MNDF Coast Guard and India would provide technical expertise in training MNDF officers and provide assistance in operating and maintaining the dockyard and harbour facilities for 15 years, as per the agreement. It was also pointed out that 75 Indian military personnel are present in the Maldives to operate the Dornier aircraft and two helicopters, but they are under the full command and control of the MNDF and thus do not affect the sovereignty and independence of the Maldives.
Though in 2022 the “India Out” movement gained some traction among the Maldivian youth, the majority of the Maldivian population and most of the mainstream political parties barring the PPM-PNC coalition consider the “India Out” movement as a politically motivated irrational movement. The movement has acted as an irritant in India-Maldives relations from time to time since 2015 onwards. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that the movement will have any major impact on India-Maldives defence cooperation as long as the Maldivian government is committed to strengthening its defence capabilities for the sake of its safety and security as well as for the region as a whole. Rajnath Singh during his visit to Male re-emphasised the point that India’s enhanced defence capabilities have enabled the country to “offer a defence partnership to the friendly foreign countries that are accommodative of their national priorities and capacities” and thereby “creating a win-win situation for one and all”.
The author is an Associate Fellow at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA).
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