‘Ekatha Harbour’ India – Maldives Relationship
· India
and Maldives marked a major step in their growing defence
cooperation by launching construction of a harbour for the Coast Guard of the
Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
· The foundation stone for the Coast Guard
‘EkathaHarbour’ was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian
counterpart, MariyaDidi, at Sifavaru in UthuruThilaFalhu
(UTF) atoll, where India is assisting in construction of a naval dockyard.
· The UTF Harbour Project, as it is called, is
among the biggest Indian grant-in-aid projects in Maldives.
Q.
Why is the Maldives important to India?
· India has had long-standing ties with the
Maldives. In 1988, India helped the Maldives thwart a coup attempt backed by a
Sri Lankan militant organisation.
· The strategic
location of Maldives in the Indian Ocean makes it important for India and
that is the reason India has been working to boost ties with the country,
especially in matters of defence and security.
· The island nation lies close to India’s
exclusive economic zone and is in a place from where it can oversee maritime
trade emanating from major choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz, Red Sea to Suez Canal and Mozambique.
· Having a friendly and independent Maldives is
thus beneficial to India and other nations in the region with common maritime
interests, particularly in the backdrop
of growing Chinese attempts to expand its influence in the region.
Q.
Why did the project invite controversy in the Maldives?
· Since the announcement of the project in
2021, there have been allegations that it was a cover for the Indian military
presence in Maldives. This led to an “India Out” campaign in the island nation
backed by its opposition leader Abdulla Yameen. Maldives President Ibrahim Solih last year banned anti-India protests
as a threat to national security.
· Anti-India campaigners in Maldives had also
alleged that Indian troops were stationed in a fast patrol vessel India recently gifted to Maldives Coast
Guard, which was commissioned as CGS Huravee earlier this week—a claim
refuted by Didi who said that the Indian crew was on the ship in Male only for
training purposes, and that it would have only Maldivian personnel henceforth.
Q.
Defence cooperation and other projects
· In 2020, India had gifted a Dornier aircraft to the Maldives and
in 2019 handed over a patrol vessel.
Last year, New Delhi had also given a coastal radar system to Male. Last year,
Indian Prime Minister NarendraModi announced that India will provide 24 vehicles
and a naval boat and will build police facilities on 61 islands of the country.
· A recent joint statement released by India
and Maldives released after Defence Minister Singh’s visit to the country
highlighted ongoing defence cooperation between the two neighbours, including
joint exercises and exchanges of visits by military officials. It also
highlighted the importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas
such as counterterrorism, disaster
management, cybersecurity and maritime security.
· The countries have also agreed to explore
additional avenues for cooperation, including in areas of defence trade,
capacity building and joint exercises.
· The handing over of these vessels is in line
with India’s vision of Security and
Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR), which seeks to work together with
and jointly develop the capabilities of friends and partners for a safe,
secure, prosperous and stable Indian Ocean Region, the joint statement had
said.
· Both countries are working closely to address
challenges, including those on maritime security, terrorism, radicalisation,
piracy, trafficking, organised crime and natural disasters.
· In August last year, PM Modi and Soli
kickstarted the Greater Male
Connectivity Project (GMCP)—a $500 million project financed by India—that
would comprise a 6.74 km bridge and the causeway link connecting the capital
Male with the neighbouring islands.
· At the same time, both sides had signed a
cyber security pact aimed at strengthening ties to tackle transnational crimes
and terrorism in the Indian Ocean region.
