News Highlights:
- Recently, India and the Maldives conducted the 4th Defence Cooperation Dialogue (DCD) in Male, Maldives.
- The Defence Secretary of India and Maldivian counterpart, the Chief of the Defence Force, Maldives National Defence Forces, co-chaired the dialogue.
Defence Cooperation Dialogue (DCD):
- Highlights of 4th DCD:
- The 4th Defence Cooperation Dialogue (DCD) between India and Maldives is important as the primary institutionalised interactive mechanism for shaping the future of their Armed Forces relations.
- During this dialogue, both nations reviewed their ongoing bilateral defence cooperation activities and expressed contentment with increasing engagements.
- They also discussed their current bilateral exercises and agreed to make them more complex.
- The constant efforts made by the Armed Forces of India and the Maldives to expand their bilateral cooperation across multiple fields indicate a promising future for their relations.
- Defence/Strategic Cooperation:
- New Delhi and Male have agreed on maintaining peace and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.
- They have enhanced maritime security in the region through coordinated patrolling and aerial surveillance, exchange of information and capacity building.
- A coastal surveillance radar system built by India is stationed in the Maldives. It helps the Integrated Coastal Surveillance System in the strategic Indian Ocean region.
- India provides the most training opportunities for the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), meeting around 70% of their defence training requirements.
- The two sides have enhanced cooperation in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations both within the region and elsewhere. This is an essential commitment since the Maldives has seen the rise of Islamist fundamentalism over the last few years, and it is said to have sent 50-200 fighters to the Islamic State.
- Exercise Ekuverin – Exercise on enhancing interoperability between the two countries forces for carrying out counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations.
- In 1988, an attempted coup was against the then-President Gayoom. The president requested military help from several countries, including India.
- The Indian paratroopers (Operation Cactus) prevented the coup and soon returned control of the capital to the Maldivian government.
Other Areas of Cooperation:
- Tourism:
- Tourism is the mainstay of the Maldivian economy.
- The country is now a major tourist destination for some Indians and a job destination for others.
- In August 2021, Afcons, an Indian company, signed a contract for the largest-ever infrastructure project in the Maldives, the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP).
- Economic Cooperation:
- India is Maldives’ 4th largest trade partner after UAE, China and Singapore.
- Maldives is one country eternally dependent on imports for subsistence; given the size and saline nature of the available land, New Delhi has since rushed all essentials to the Indian Ocean archipelago, with promises of more, as and when sought.
- In 2018, India offered a $1.4 billion assistance package to Maldives for their developmental challenges.
- Humanitarian Aid:
- Following the tsunami waves that hit the Maldives in December 2004, India was the first country to rush relief and aid to the Maldives.
- Operation Neer – In the wake of a drinking water crisis in Male in December 2014, India came to the rescue by sending its military transport aircraft bottled water.
- The navy also sent her ships like INS Sukanya, INS Deepak and others which can produce fresh water using their onboard desalination plants.
- Infrastructure:
- In 2022, the National College for Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) was inaugurated by India’s External Affairs Minister.
- NCPLE is the largest grant project executed by India in the Maldives.
- High Impact Community Development (HICDP) constitutes an important dimension of the dynamic development partnership between India and the Maldives.
Way Forward:
- India should continue to work for a more prosperous, stable, peaceful and sustainable Maldives. Working on a trade agreement to improve trade relations should be a priority.
- India must prioritise completing its development projects in Maldives and publicising them to augment soft power amongst the public in Maldives. It must use its Diaspora more extensively to strengthen its relations.
- Cooperation in the defence sector can be promoted with an additional focus on intelligence sharing and working together in counter-terrorism in the wake of growing violent attacks in the Maldives.
Pic Courtesy: Economic Times
Content Source: PIB