India Looking To Engage With The New Maldives Govt. On All Issues, Says MEA

Relevance: GS 2- India and its neighborhood- relations. Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests, Indian diaspora.

(Source: The Hindu, 10/06/2023)

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Why in the news?

• Recently, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that it was looking forward to working with the Government of Maldives while responding to a statement by the Maldivian President-Elect that Indian military personnel would be asked to leave the islands.
• Mr. Muizzu, the former Mayor of Male, defeated the incumbent President Solih by 19,000 votes, or an 8% margin in the recently held elections in the island nation.

What did the new Maldivian President say about India?

• Mr. Muizzu, who campaigned on an “India Out” plank stated that he would prioritize the sovereignty of the Maldives.
• According to him, the people of the Island nation did not favor the presence of Indian troops on the island.

India’s Response

• The Indian High Commissioner met the President-elect and discussed various aspects of the bilateral relationship including development cooperation.
• He claimed that the focus of the India-Maldives partnership is capacity building and cooperation on shared challenges like transnational crimes and humanitarian assistance.

India-Maldives ties

• India was one of the first countries to recognize and establish diplomatic relations with the Maldives following its independence from the British in 1965.
• The two countries share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious, and commercial ties which have existed since ancient times.
  • Rajaraja Chola invaded and conquered the northern atolls in the Maldives during his reign
• Although relations between the two countries have traditionally been warm, bilateral relations have been affected by the party in government in the Maldives.
• Defense:
  • Indian naval and airforce personnel have been stationed in the Addu and Lammu islands since 2013 to maintain and operate two helicopters and Dornier aircraft loaned to the Maldives by India.
  • According to the Maldives National Defence Force, 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives as of 2021.
  • More than 70% of the Maldivian Defence Forces’ training requirements are provided by India.
  • India and Maldives have been participating in a joint military exercise Ekuverin since 2009.
• Humanitarian assistance: India has demonstrated its commitment to being the First Provider of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) in the Indian Ocean region.
• India’s bilateral assistance to the Maldives: India has actively assisted in the development of Maldives through projects such as the:
  • India established a 200-bed hospital, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital, in the Maldives to promote healthcare in the country.
  • India has also supported the establishment of the Maldives Institute of Technical Education which has provided technical training and employability to Maldivian youth.

How is the India-Maldives relationship significant?

• Security: India and the Maldives are both located in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Stability in the Maldives is crucial for regional security and for the protection of India’s regional interests.
  • The two countries have actively engaged in counterterrorism efforts in the region.
• Economic: Maldives' location places it between important international shipping lanes that handle vital commodities including energy.
  • Additionally, its close proximity to India makes it significant to the success of India’s blue economy policy.
• Multilateralism: India and Maldives are aligned on various global issues including issues faced by countries of the Global South.
  • The two countries are also members of multilateral forums like the Commonwealth and NAM.
• Trade and Tourism: In 2021, India-Maldives bilateral trade exceeded $300 million.
  • India is a significant source of tourism for the Maldives, which is a major contributor to the island nation’s economic growth.
  • Maldives also contributes a significant part of India’s revenues from medical tourism.

What are the major challenges in the India-Maldives relationship

Political Instability

• The Maldives has regularly suffered from political instability.
• As a result, India has had to adopt a cautious approach as part of its neighborhood policy in order to balance its aspirations such as regional stability and democracy.

India Out

• In 202, the Maldivian opposition launched a protest against the MoU on maritime security between India and Maldives to construct a Coast Guard harbor base at the Uthuru Thilafalhu atoll.
  • Although construction was inaugurated in 2023, it has been impacted by the India Out protests.

Radicalization

• India has expressed concern over the increasing radicalization of the Maldives by extremist groups like ISIS.
• The political upheaval and socioeconomic crisis in the Maldives is a major security concern for the Maldives and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole, including India.

China’s influence

• China's geopolitical aggressiveness in the South Asian region has seen it attempt to expand its strategic footprint in South Asia in the Maldives.
• This includes initiatives like the String of Pearls and the Maritime Silk Route.
• China’s increasing strategic influence in the country is a major concern for India, particularly due to the India-Out strategies of the new President-Elect of the Maldives and his party.

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FAQs

MCQs

Question: As per the Human Development Index given by UNDP, which one of the following sequences of South Asian countries is correct, in the order of higher to lower development? (UPSC CSE 2003)

(a) India–Sri Lanka–Pakistan–Maldives

(b) Maldives–Sri Lanka–India–Pakistan

(c) Sri Lanka–Maldives–India–Pakistan

(d) Maldives–India–Pakistan–Sri Lanka