INDIA - MALDIVES RELATIONS - INTERNATIONAL
News: Friendly
neighbourhood: On India-Maldives bilateral relations
What's in the news?
● The
conviction of former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen by a criminal court in
the Maldives just a year ahead of general elections could affect his plans to
lead the PPM-PNC opposition alliance.
● He
faces 11 years in prison and a $5 million fine after being found guilty of
corruption and money laundering links to a company he was accused of taking
kickbacks from, during his tenure as President (2013-2018).
Key takeaways:
● Given
the inimical relationship, as well as Mr. Yameen’s past close links with China,
there may be some relief to Indian government over the possibility of Mr.
Yameen’s disqualification.
● However,
the Government needs to tread carefully when it comes to the domestic politics
roiling its close maritime neighbor.
● India’s infrastructure aid,
credit lines, loans and commissioning of various projects (Greater Male
Connectivity Project, Hanimaadhoo airport, Hulhumale cricket stadium,
Gulhifalhu port) have meant high visibility.
● In
addition, close ties and high-level military exchanges since 2018 have raised speculation that India is eyeing a base.
● Even
as the Solih government has been prompt in countering Mr. Yameen’s allegations,
condemning the “India Out'' campaign, and arresting a senior opposition leader
for threatening violence against the Indian High Commission, have gained some
traction in parts of the country.
● While
Mr. Yameen may not be allowed to run in the next election, this might make
space for even more radical elements in the opposition combine.
● New
Delhi must keep a close watch on other parts of Maldivian politics, including
the rift between India’s closest friends there, President Solih and former
President Nasheed, who is threatening to split the ruling Maldivian Democratic
Party.
● Despite
having obvious favorites in the polity, New Delhi must actively project the
image of the friendly and helpful neighbor without explicitly seeking to sway
next year’s election in any direction.
Backdrop of India - Maldives Relations:
● India
and Maldives are neighbors sharing a maritime
border.
● Both
nations established diplomatic relations after the independence of Maldives
from British rule in 1966.
● India
was one of the first nations to recognize Maldives independence.
● Since
then, India and Maldives have developed
close strategic, military, economic and cultural relations.
● Maldivians
generally regard Indians and India as a friend and trusted neighbor in the
field economic, social and political.
Anti-India sentiments:
● ‘India Out’ campaign
in Maldives had started sometime last year as on-ground protests in the
Maldives and later widely spread across social media platforms under the same
hashtag.
● It
is not related to people-to-people conflict (Indian diaspora) but is discontent
on close relationship between Maldivian government & India.
Causes for the Anti-India sentiments:
1. Political instability:
● The
anti-India sentiment is nearly a decade old and can be traced back to when
Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom became president in 2013.
● He
used anti-India sentiments for his political
mobilization and started tilting China.
2. Controversy over helicopter gift:
● Two Dhruv Advanced Light
Helicopters (ALF) were given by India to
the Maldives for ocean search-and-rescue operations.
● Opposition
tried to portray this as a military presence in the country.
3. Confidential agreements:
● Most
agreements being signed between the Ibrahim Solih government and India are
under backdoors and have not been publicly discussed in the Maldives
Parliament.
4. Alleged interference in domestic politics:
● India
being a big neighbor, there are unsubstantiated perceptions & allegations
on Indian Diplomats stationed in Maldives interfering in Domestic affairs.
Recent gestures by India:
1. 2014 Male drinking-water crisis:
● In
the wake of a drinking water crisis in Male in 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.
2. 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.
● Also,
the IAF airlifted 6.2tonnes of essential medicines and hospital consumables to
Maldives, as part of ‘Operation
Sanjeevani’.
3. Greater Male Connectivity Project:
● India
has recently announced the signing of a $500-million
infrastructure project for the construction of the Greater Male
Connectivity Project (GMCP).
● This
infrastructure project, the largest-ever by India in the Maldives, involves the
construction of a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link.
Why is Maldives significant for India?
1. Increasing maritime cooperation:
● As
maritime economic activity in the Indian Ocean has risen dramatically in recent
decades, the geopolitical competition in
the Indian Ocean has intensified.
2. Toll Gate in Indian Ocean:
● It
is situated at the hub of commercial sea-lanes running through the Indian
Ocean.
● More than 97% of India’s
international trade by volume and 75% by value passes through the region.
3. Naval cooperation:
● Maldives
is an important partner in India’s role as the net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region.
4. Important SAARC member:
● Besides,
Maldives is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC).
5. People-to-people contact:
● There
is a significant population of Maldivian students in India.
● They
are aided by a liberal visa-free regime
extended by India. There is also medical tourism.
6. Major destination for tourists:
● 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.
Challenges in India - Maldives Relations:
1. Political Instability:
● India’s
major concern has been the impact of political instability in the neighborhood
on its security and development.
2. Increasing radicalization:
● In
the past decade or so, the number of Maldivians drawn towards terrorist groups
like the Islamic State (IS) and Pakistan-based jihadist groups has been
increasing.
3. Inclination towards terror:
● Radicalism
in the island nation has increased the possibility of Pakistan based terror
groups using remote Maldivian islands as a launch pad for terror attacks
against India and Indian interests.
4. Chinese affinity:
● China’s
strategic footprint in India’s neighborhood has increased. The Maldives has
emerged as an important ‘pearl’ in China’s
“String of Pearls” construct in South Asia.
Agreements signed between India and Maldives:
● The
MoU signed on cyber security aims to promote closer cooperation and exchange of
information pertaining to cyber security
in accordance with our domestic laws, rules and regulation and based on
equality, reciprocity and mutual benefit.
● Both
sides exchanged agreements covering areas like women and child development, disaster management and infrastructure
development.
● Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and President Solih participated remotely in the pouring
of the first concrete of the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) that
would include a 6.74 km bridge and the causeway linking capital Male with the
neighboring islands.
● Both
sides affirmed their will to strengthen ties to take on “transnational crimes and terrorism” in the Indian Ocean region.
● To
strengthen Maldivian maritime capacity, India
gifted a second landing assault craft to the Maldives National Defence Force.
● India operationalised
Rupay card in Maldives and also works in the areas like fisheries, education,
health tourism and disaster resilience infrastructure.
Maldives-India
relation, goes beyond diplomacy. Our values, our cultures and our histories are
intertwined, making it a traditional relationship. Our centuries-old
relationship has grown with political trust, economic relation.