India–Maldives relations

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India-Maldives relations
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Maldives

India and Maldives are neighbours sharing a maritime border. Relations have been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation. [1] [2] India continues to contribute to maintaining security as well as providing financial aid on the island nation. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

However, tensions have increased as President of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu has imposed an "India-Out" campaign and the country is deepening ties with China. Along with this, recent incidents of ministers of the Maldives insulting the islands of Lakshadweep and the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, have heightened tensions.

It represents India's second-largest ongoing plantation infrastructure endeavor, following the $500 million Greater Malé Project. The Greater Malé Project aims to link the capital with three adjacent highlands through a 6.74-kilometer-long sea bridge. [5]

Both India and the Maldives are republics in the Commonwealth of Nations.

India has a High Commission in Malé, and the Maldives has a High Commission in New Delhi.

History

Maldives is located south of India's Lakshadweep Islands in the Indian Ocean. Both nations established diplomatic relations after the independence of Maldives from British rule in 1966. [1] India was one of the first nations to recognise Maldives' independence. [6] Since then, India and Maldives have developed close strategic, military, economic and cultural relations. India has supported Maldives' policy of keeping regional issues and struggles away from itself, and the latter has seen friendship with India as a source of aid as well as a counterbalance to Sri Lanka, which is in proximity to the island nation and its largest trading partner. [2]

Bilateral treaties and strategic partnership

1976 Maritime treaty

In December 1976, India and the Maldives signed a maritime boundary treaty to agree on maritime boundaries. [7] Treaty explicitly places Minicoy on the Indian side of the boundary. [7] India and Maldives officially and amicably decided their maritime boundary in 1976. [2] A minor diplomatic incident occurred in 1982 when President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's brother, Abdulla Hameed gave a speech that India mistook as a claim that the neighboring Minicoy Island that belonged to India were a part of Maldives; Maldives rapidly officially denied that it was laying claim to the island and explained that President Maumoon's brother had in fact been talking about the cultural connections between Maldives and Minicoy. [2]

1988 Comprehensive trade agreement

In 1981, India and Maldives signed a comprehensive trade agreement. [8] Both nations are founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the South Asian Economic Union and signatories to the South Asia Free Trade Agreement. Indian and Maldivian leaders have maintained high-level contacts and consultations on regional issues. [1]

Commercial relations

Since the success of Operation Cactus, the relations between India and Maldives have expanded significantly. [2] [3] India has provided extensive economic aid and has participated in bilateral programmes for the development of infrastructure, health, telecommunications and labour resources. [2] [3] It established the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé, the capital of Maldives, expanded telecommunications and air links and increased scholarships for Maldivian students. [2] While India's exports to Maldives during 2006 were worth ₹384  crore, imports were worth less than ₹6  crore. [8] The State Bank of India has contributed more than US$500 million to aid the economic expansion of Maldives. [8] India and Maldives have announced plans to jointly work to expand fisheries and tuna processing. [8]

India-Maldives Trade Figures (in million US$) [9] [10]
YearIndia's ExportsIndia's ImportsTotal TradeIndia's Balance of Trade
2015225.823.00228.82222.81
2016274.551.55276.10273.00
2017282.044.12286.16277.93
2018286.133.01289.14283.12
2019290.273.42293.69286.85
2020242.823.33246.15239.49
2021317.355.94323.29311.41
2022 (Jan - April)131.332.78134.11128.55

Military relations

In April 2006, the Indian Navy gifted a Trinkat Class Fast Attack Craft of 46 m length to the Maldives National Defence Force's Coast Guard.

India started the process to bring the island country into India's security grid. The move comes after the moderate Islamic nation approached New Delhi earlier in 2009, over fears that one of its island resorts could be taken over by terrorists given its lack of military assets and surveillance capabilities. [11] India has also signed an agreement which includes following: [11]

Operations and events

1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt

The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was by a group of Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam, to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives. The mercenaries quickly gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airport, port, television and radio stations. The intervention by the Indian Armed Forces, codenamed Operation Cactus, defeated the attempted coup.

The Indian paratroopers immediately secured the airfield, crossed over to Malé using commandeered boats and rescued President Gayoom. The paratroopers restored control of the capital to President Gayoom's government within hours. Some of the mercenaries fled toward Sri Lanka in a hijacked freighter. Those unable to reach the ship in time were quickly rounded up and handed over to the Maldives government. Nineteen people reportedly died in the fighting, most of them mercenaries. The dead included two hostages killed by the mercenaries. The Indian Navy frigates Godavari and Betwa intercepted the freighter off the Sri Lankan coast, and captured the mercenaries. The swift intervention by the Indian military and accurate intelligence successfully quelled the attempted coup d'état. [12]

2014 Malé Water Shortage Crisis (MWSC)

In the wake of a drinking water crisis in Malé on 4 December 2014, following collapse of the island's only water treatment plant, Maldives urged India for immediate help. India came to rescue by sending its heavy lift transporters like C-17 Globemaster III, Il-76 carrying bottled water. The Indian Navy also sent her ships like INS Sukanya, INS Deepak and others which can produce fresh water using their onboard desalination plants. [13] [14] The humanitarian relief efforts by the Indian side was widely appreciated in Malé across all sections of people, with the Vice-President of Maldives thanking the Indian ambassador for swift action. [15]

2011–2015 Maldives political crisis

Maldives' first democratically elected president from 2008 to 2012, Mohammed Nasheed, was arrested on 22 February 2015 on terror charges. India and US expressed concern over Nasheed's arrest and manhandling. [16] [17] Indian PM Modi was to also visit Maldives in the second week of March as a part four nation visit to Indian Ocean neighbours. But, he later omitted Maldives from his tour. [18] [19]

2020 COVID-19 crisis

During the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, India extended help to Maldives in the form of financial, material and logistical support.

In April 2020, India provided $150 million currency swap support to help Maldives mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19. [20] Also in April, at the request of the Maldivian government, the Indian Air Force airlifted 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines and hospital consumables to Maldives, as part of 'Operation Sanjeevani'. These supplies had been procured by Maldives's State Trading Organisation from suppliers in India, but could not be transported due to the COVID-19 lockdown. [21] India had also earlier despatched a medical team  with essential medicines to help Maldives fight the COVID outbreak as well as supplied essential food grains and edibles despite logistical challenges in wake of lockdown. [22] This operation was called Operation Sanjeevani.

Civil society perception of India

Maldivians generally regard Indians and India as a friend and trusted neighbour in the economic, social and political fields, although there has been a strong anti-India stance taken by some sections of the society, expressed under the 'India Out' campaign, which was alleged by the Indian High Commission to be "motivated, malicious, and increasingly personal". [23] Both nations share historical and cultural ties. Maldives holds a significant position among India's vital maritime neighbors. India has actively engaged in various efforts aimed at bolstering the defense and security infrastructure in Maldives through capacity development and capability enhancement. Working closely with the Maldivian authorities, the Indian Navy has conducted joint exercises, provided training to personnel, aided in infrastructure development, and facilitated the transfer of equipment. These collaborative initiatives emphasize India's crucial role as a security provider in the region. Furthermore, the Indian government has undertaken a reevaluation of its diplomatic approaches concerning key Indian Ocean island nations, taking into consideration their strategic access to the region. [24]

2024 India–Maldives diplomatic row

Relations faced a strain in January 2024 due to derogatory remarks by Maldivian officials and concerns over racism, targeted towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as India. [25] Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu is widely seen to be pro-China, meaning souring relations with India. [26]

This was seen very negatively in India, with citizens calling for a boycott of vacations in Maldives, with many renowned Bollywood actors and personalities criticising the Maldivian government. This also led to the death of a young Maldivian teenager, [27] who had to be taken to India via an air ambulance, after the request at the last minute was denied by Maldivian authorities due to the ongoing tensions against the country. [28]

Joint Projects in Maldives

Uthuru Thila Falhu Naval Base Harbour

India extended a $50 million line of credit to Maldives for defense projects, mainly for the development, support and maintenance of the harbour of the Uthuru Thila Falhu Naval Base. [29] [30]

Greater Malé Connectivity Project

In 2021, the Maldivian Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure signed a $500 million infrastructure project for a 6.7 km bridge & causeway link with the Indian engineering company AFCONS. The 6.74-km bridge and causeway link will connect the capital of Malé with the islands of Villingili, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi. It is being funded through a grant of $100 million and a line of credit of $400 million from India, and will boost connectivity between the four islands that account for almost half of the Maldivian population. [31] India's engagement in the Maldives encompasses various infrastructure initiatives, such as the Greater Malé Connectivity Project. [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldives</span> Island country in South Asia

The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, is a country and archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is named after the main island and capital of Male. The word "Maldives" means "the islands (dives) of Male". The name may derive from the Sanskrit word "maladvipa" meaning "garland of islands". Dhivehi Raajje in Dhivehi means "Kingdom of the Dhivehi people". The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about 750 kilometres from the Asian continent's mainland. The Maldives' chain of 26 atolls stretches across the equator from Ihavandhippolhu Atoll in the north to Addu Atoll in the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Maldives</span>

The history of the Maldives is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia and Indian Ocean; and the modern nation consisting of 26 natural atolls, comprising 1194 islands. Historically, the Maldives held a strategic importance due to its location on the major marine routes of the Indian Ocean. The Maldives' nearest neighbours are the British Indian Ocean Territory, Sri Lanka and India. The United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and some Indian kingdoms have had cultural and economic ties with the Maldives for centuries. In addition to these countries, Maldivians also traded with Aceh and many other kingdoms in, what is today, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Maldives provided the main source of cowrie shells, then used as a currency throughout Asia and parts of the East African coast. Most probably Maldives were influenced by Kalingas of ancient India who were earliest sea traders to Sri Lanka and the Maldives from India and were responsible for the spread of Buddhism. Stashes of Chinese crockery found buried in various locations in the Maldives also show that there was direct or indirect trade contact between China and the Maldives. In 1411 and 1430, the Chinese admiral Zheng He 鄭和 visited the Maldives. The Chinese also became the first country to establish a diplomatic office in the Maldives, when the Chinese nationalist government based in Taipei opened an embassy in Malé in 1966. This office has since been replaced by the embassy of the People's Republic of China.

The politics of the Maldives take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the Head of Government. Executive power is exercised by the government. The President heads the executive branch and appoints the Cabinet; like many presidential democracies, each member of the cabinet need to be approved by the Parliament. The President, along with their pick for vice president, is directly elected by the denizens to a five-year term by a secret ballot. Once in office, they could be re-elected to a second 5-year term, which is the limit allowed by the Constitution. The current President of the Maldives is Mohamed Muizzu, when his predecessor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih lost the 2023 Maldivian presidential election. Nasheed reportedly resigned involuntarily to forestall an escalation of violence, and was placed in jail, before being forced into exile, from which he eventually returned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of the Maldives</span>

The Maldives has remained an independent nation throughout its recorded history, save for a brief spell of Portuguese occupation in the mid-16th century. From 1887 to 1965, the country was a British protectorate while retaining full internal sovereignty. At its independence in 1965, the Maldives joined the United Nations on 20 September.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldivian Democratic Party</span> Political party in the Maldives

The Maldivian Democratic Party is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives with a total membership of 52,142 individuals as of 5 March 2024. The 2019 parliamentary election was the first time one party was able to secure a majority in parliament without forming a coalition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Nasheed</span> President of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012

Mohamed Nasheed GCSK, also known as Anni, is a Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Party, he subsequently served as the 19th speaker of the People's Majlis from May 2019 until his resignation in November 2023. He is the first democratically elected president of the Maldives and the only president to resign from office. He is currently a member of The Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1988 Maldives coup attempt</span> Coup attempt thwarted by India

The 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt was by a group of Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives. The attempt was thwarted with Indian assistance in Operation Cactus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldives–Pakistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

Maldives–Pakistan relations are the foreign relations between Pakistan and the Maldives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldives–Sri Lanka relations</span> Bilateral relations

Maldives–Sri Lanka relations, or official and economic relations between the neighbouring Indian Ocean countries of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, have been positive since the Maldives became independent in 1965. The Maldives first established a mission in Sri Lanka in July 1965, and today has a High Commission in Colombo. Sri Lanka has a High Commission in Malé. Both countries were founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in December 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Party of Maldives</span> Islamist political party in the Maldives

The Progressive Party of Maldives, also known by its abbreviationPPM, is an Islamist political party in the Maldives with a total membership of 36,223 as of 5 March 2024. The stated goal of the party is driving Maldives towards an independent and democratic, safe and secure, high income, high human capital, developed nation state with a diversified and robust economy whilst preserving its Islamic heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdulla Hameed</span>

Abdulla Hameed was a Maldivian politician. He was the Minister of Atolls during the administration of his brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Hameed was the Speaker of the Majlis from 1988 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2004. He was a recipient of the Order of Distinguished Rule of Izzuddeen.

The 2011–2013 Maldives political crisis began as a series of peaceful protests that broke out in the Maldives on 1 May 2011. They would continue, eventually escalating into the resignation of President Mohamed Nasheed in disputed circumstances in February 2012. Demonstrators were protesting what they considered the government's mismanagement of the economy and were calling for the ouster of President Nasheed. The main political opposition party in the country, the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party led by the former president of the country Maumoon Abdul Gayoom accused President Nasheed of "talking about democracy but not putting it into practice." The protests occurred during the Arab Spring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdulla Yameen</span> President of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018

Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Maldives relations</span> Bilateral relations

Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Maldives were established in 1972. China has an embassy in Malé which opened in November 2011, and the Maldives has an embassy in Beijing which opened in 2009. Approximately 70 percent of the Maldives' total debt is attributed to Chinese projects, with an annual payment of $92 million to China, constituting around 10 percent of the country's entire budget. China has become pervasive in the Maldives, exerting influence over infrastructure, trade, and energy sectors, raising concerns of a new form of Chinese entrapment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Asian foreign policy of the Narendra Modi government</span>

Neighbourhood First Policy of India, a core component of India's foreign policy, focuses on peaceful relations and collaborative synergetic co-development with its South Asian neighbours of the Indian subcontinent encompassing a diverse range of topics, such as economics, technology, research, education, connectivity, space program, defence security, environment and climate challenge. This policy creates new avenues as well as leverages to the existing regional cooperation initiatives such as SAARC, SASEC, BBIN, and BIMSTEC. It compliments India's Look East policy focused on Southeast Asia and Look West Policy focused on Middle East.

Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on Sunday, 23 September 2018. Incumbent president Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives was seeking re-election for a second five-year term. His only challenger was Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party, who was nominated as the joint candidate of a coalition of opposition parties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldivian diaspora</span>

The Maldivian diaspora refers to the community of Maldivians, speakers of the Maldivian language, who have either emigrated from the Republic of Maldives or grew up outside of the Maldives speaking Dhivehi as a first language. The Republic of Maldives is a South Asian country geographically located in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea. Maldivians have historically emigrated from the Maldives for numerous reasons including low economic opportunity, political repression and education. India and Sri Lanka currently host the most Maldivians living outside of the Maldives, but other diaspora communities can be found in Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibrahim Mohamed Solih</span> President of the Maldives from 2018 to 2023

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, commonly known as Ibu, is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2018 to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Maldivian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on Saturday, 9 September 2023, with a second round held on 30 September. Incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was seeking re-election, after defeating Speaker of the People's Majlis Mohamed Nasheed in the Maldivian Democratic Party primaries. People's National Congress candidate and Malé mayor Mohamed Muizzu won the election with 54% of the votes, defeating Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and becoming President-elect of the Maldives. It was the fourth consecutive election in which a Maldivian president failed to win reelection, the last to do so having been Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ran unopposed, in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 India–Maldives diplomatic row</span>

In January 2024, relations between India and Maldives, traditionally close neighbors with strong historical and cultural ties, became strained due to derogatory remarks by Maldivian cabinet ministers and concerns over racism, targeted towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as India.

References

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  10. ↑ "India-Maldives Trade Figures (in million US$)". High Commission of India, Male. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
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  12. ↑ "Operation Cactus". Bharat Rakshak. Archived from the original on 11 October 2010.
  13. ↑ "Maldives Water Crisis: India Transports 1,000 Tonnes of Fresh Water to Male". NDTV . 7 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  14. ↑ Panda, Ankit (5 December 2014). "Maldives Faces Drinking Water Crisis". The Diplomat . Retrieved 21 December 2014.
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  17. ↑ Sharma, Rajeev (7 March 2015). "PM Modi cancels trip to Maldives: Is it because of Yameen govt's rebuttal in Nasheed case?". Firstpost. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
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  19. ↑ Chaudhury, Dipanjan Roy (7 March 2015). "Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancels Maldives trip due to political unrest". Economic Times - India Times. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
  20. ↑ "India extends US$ 150 mln currency swap support to Maldives". Avas. 28 April 2020.
  21. ↑ Philip, Snehesh Alex (2 April 2020). "IAF airlifts 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines, hospital consumables to Maldives". The Print.
  22. ↑ "Operation Sanjeevani: IAF airlifts medical and hospital consumables for the Maldives". DD News. 2 April 2020.
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  26. ↑ "What the China-Maldives-India Triangle Tells Us About 21st Century Balancing". thediplomat.com.
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  28. ↑ Gupta, Adarsh Kumar. "Sick Maldivian teen dies after President Mohammed Muizzu refused India's plane services: Report". Hindustan Times.
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  31. ↑ Laskar, Rezaul H. (26 August 2021). "Maldives govt signs contract for India-funded $500 million connectivity project". The Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  32. ↑ "India, Maldives to sign pact on Greater Male Connectivity Project". The Indian Express. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
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