The Foreign Secretary of India, Harsh Vardhan Shringla visited Maldives in November 2020 to further strengthen India’s relations with Male. The visit is significant as bilateral cooperation between India and Maldives, especially on the economic front, has prosporsed to a large extent under Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih. Such bilateral cooperation is also imperative to make India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ initiative a sustained success.
Bilateral relations between Indian and Maldives span over several centuries. The two countries share cordial and multi-dimensional relations as far as linguistic, cultural, religious, and commercial activities are concerned. India was among the first countries to recognise Maldives in 1965. India and Maldives have had bilateral relations for centuries. Indian Government’s policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’ and Government of Maldives policy of ‘India First’ is based on the foundation of mutual trust, understanding, and sensitivity to each other’s concerns.
India is committed to the development of a stable, prosperous, and peaceful Maldives, even as Maldives ‘India-First Policy’ ensures full support for deepening the multifaceted and mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries. As of December 2016, there were around 25,000 Indian nationals along with 108 persons of indian origin (PIOs) living in Maldives.
Indian assistance to Maldives India has provided emergency assistance to Maldives whenever it was sought by Maldives.
In the year 1988, there was an attempted military coup to defeat and overthrow the legitimate government of the then President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. India then extended its unconditional support to save the legitimate government of Maldives. India had sent its army troops under ‘Operation Cactus’ to restore the leadership of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
During the tsunami in 2004 and during the water crisis in the capital city of Male in 2014, India had extended its support to Maldives in terms of humanitarian and disaster relief.
In an effort to provide increased connectivity between India and the Maldives, a passenger-cum-cargo ferry service, between the port of Kochi, Kerala and Malé, was launched during PM Modi’s visit to the Maldives in June 2019.
In the near past, during the peak of COVID-19 disruption, India had given an aid of 250 million dollars to Maldives. India also supplied medical aid to the country. India is the first country in South Asia to start a cargo ferry and open an air travel bubble to Maldives.
India is providing assistance to Maldives in connectivity and civilian infrastructure. There are seven major projects under Indian line of Credit (LoC) worth $800 million. India has also announced another LoC of $400 million and a special grant of $100 million for the Greater Male Connectivity Project which would link Male to three other islands through a series of bridges, causeways and roads. These projects, once completed, would be a major boost to the economy of Maldives.
The students of Maldives attend educational institutions of India. India has aided a liberal visa-free regime for patients from Maldives who come to India for superspeciality healthcare. The technological advancements have made connectivity easier for everyday contact exchanges between both the countries.
Tourism is the mainstay of the Maldivian economy. Many Indian tourists visit Maldives. It is also a job destination for many Indians. India has also exempted Maldives from export curbs on essential commodities.
In the maritime front, India has tangible manifestation of its commitment to be a net provider of security in the region. India Maritime forces and Maldives National Defence Force, (MNDF), work closely for the security of the region, and both the countries have close cooperation between the two maritime forces.
India, has also given military assistance to Maldives by providing them with warship, INS Vikramaditya; constructed guided-missile destroyer, INS Mysore; replenishment tanker, INS Deepak. In December 2019, India gifted a ‘Made-in-India patrol vessel, the Kaamiyaab, to MNDF.
Why is India’s relationship with Maldives important Maldives is one of the most important neighbour of India with whom, India would always like to maintain a cordial strategic relationship. It is the smallest country in Asia and is categorised as a small island developing state (SIDS). Maldives island is one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world. It is positioned like a ‘toll gate’ between the western Indian Ocean chokepoint of the Gulf of Aden/Strait of Hormuz and the eastern Indian Ocean chokepoint of the Strait of Malacca. Since Indian Ocean itself is a key highway for global trade activities, the importance of Maldives for international sea lanes of communication is very important. Significance of Maldives has steadily grown and it is now at the heart of international geopolitics.
Despite its small size, the Maldives is currently being sought after by a number of developed and developing countries of the world. China, for pursuing its geo-economic goals, view Maldives as one of the key components of its ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (BRI). It is actively establishing its presence in Maldives by involving itself in the infrastructure projects of the island nation. These activities have the potential to adversely impact India’s own interests as it is happening in the Indian Ocean.
To counter China’s influence and to bolster our own regional standing, India has stepped-up its engagement with Maldives. Fifty percent of India’s external trade and eighty per cent of its energy imports transit through the international shipping lanes of Maldives. Thus, it is obvious that Chinese presence in that region would hinder the trade movement which is vital to India’s economic interests.
The growing Chinese influence in the Maldives, consequent upon the planned- or ongoing execution of a large number of Beijing-led investment projects, is a major concern for India. Though the current regimen of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has a very cordial relationship with India, it cannot be ruled out that the lure of cheap and easy money that could be sourced from China is still a potential threat to the sovereignty of Maldives.
Presence of Chinese warships in the commercial harbour of Male is a threat to India. This is in violation to the Sino-Indian relations. India has to keep a watch on any and all Chinese attempts to influence Maldives. India is taking all its efforts to restore and retain its ties with the Maldives.
India has the responsibility to address not only its own security concerns but also of the countries in its maritime neighbourhood. India has provided various maritime help to Maldives from time to time to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region.
When India’s relationship strained with Maldives India’s support to President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled Maldives between the years 1978 and 2008, was central to the survival of his authoritarian rule for over three decades. Abdulla Yameen, became the President of Maldives between the years 2013 and 2018. However, during the presidency of Abdulla Yameen, Maldives’ relations with China warmed considerably. Maldives joined the BRI and borrowed heavily from the Chinese to fund infrastructure projects. The period saw a sharp downturn in India-Maldives relations.
Yameen promoted Maldivian nationalism with an anti-India focus to tighten his grip over power. With such a stand he tried to deflect attention away from his autocratic governance, rampant corruption, and rising debt that characterised his presidency. Accusing India of infringing on Maldivian sovereignty, he allowed a defense agreement to expire in 2018 under which India had stationed two naval choppers in Maldives and, in a show of defiance, even ordered India to take back the helicopters it had gifted Maldives under the pact.
However, in the 2018 elections, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) won the elections and Mohamed Ibrahim Solih was sworn in as the President of Maldives. The India-Maldives relationship has been on the upswing since then. Though the opposition party coalition of Maldives is persistent on its ‘India Out’ campaign, the present government which is more democratic and secular than the opposition parties, is widely seen to be a pro-India party. Since the return of the MDP to power in November 2018, India-Maldives cooperation is growing again. The MDP government distanced itself from the pro-China policies of the earlier Yameen government and put in place an “India first” policy.
Conclusion
India should be concerned about the protests by the opposition parties of the Maldives as it is one of the most strategically located islands in the Indian Ocean and holds immense importance for India. The potential for both countries to work together on adaptive and mitigating measures against the adverse maritime-impacts of climate change is commendable. ‘India-First Policy’ of the Maldives and India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ are intuitively complementary, India-Maldives defense cooperation will enhance India’s capability to monitor Chinese maritime and naval movements along vital sea lanes of communication that run alongside the Maldives. India-Maldives bilateral cooperation would serve as a template for India’s ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’.
The US-Maldives defense pact was signed between USA and Maldives in September 2020, for deeper engagement and cooperation between the two countries in support of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean. US and Maldives have reiterated their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific trade. This clearly shows that Maldives opposed to and concerned with China’s growing aggression in the Indo-Pacific region. The US-Maldives defense pact will strengthen that capability against the Chinese significantly.