AIR Spotlight: Defence Minister’s Visit to The Maldives

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio News on air. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation.

This article is about the discussion on: Defence Minister’s Visit to The Maldives

Participants: 

1. Anil Wadhwa, Former Diplomat
2. Lalima Aneja Dang, AIR correspondent

Context: India’s Defence Minister’s Visit to the Maldives and Strategic Importance of India-Maldives Relations.

Introduction:

• Union Minister of Defence Shri Rajnath Singh is on an official three-day visit to the Maldives between 1st and 3rd May 2023.
• He will hold bilateral talks with his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Ahmed Didi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.
• He will hand over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to Maldivian Defence Forces as a gift from India.
• Mr. Singh will also visit the ongoing project sites and interact with the 23000-strong Indian diaspora in the island country.

Also read: Comprehensive News Analysis. May 1st, 2023: India-Maldives

Significance of the Visit:

• The visit will be an important landmark in building strong bonds of friendship between the two countries.
• It will not only benefit the two countries but also the entire region.
• As per the statement of the Defence Ministry, the entire gamut of defence relations between the two countries will be reviewed during the deliberations.
• India is committed to the capacity building of friendly countries, especially under its Neighborhood First Policy.
• It will complement India’s vision of Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR).
• India and the Maldives collaborating in the Indian Ocean Region add further significance.
• The Maldives has close proximity to India as it is 70 nautical miles away from Minicoy and nearly 300 nautical miles away from India’s west coast.
• The Maldives assumes a special place in the region. It is important to maintain political stability and security to maintain the stability in the Indian Ocean Region. It is also important to safeguard India’s commercial interests and investment in the region.
• The Maldives is strategically crucial due to its geographical location in relation to shipping lanes. 
  • The Indian Ocean is the major trade route for energy transfer across the world.
  • The two choke points – the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca are located on either side of the Maldives.
• Managing and using marine resources sustainably near the Maldives is crucial for India’s success in the blue economy.

India-Maldives Relations:

• India and the Maldives have worked very closely to effectively address the shared challenges that include maritime security, terrorism, radicalization, piracy, trafficking, organized crimes, and natural disasters.
• India helped the Maldives in the Coup of 1988 and launched Operation Cactus.
• India was the first country to assist the Maldives in the Tsunami (2004) and the Water Crisis of Male (2014).
• The development in the Maldives of gifting a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft by India is a part of India’s strategy to ensure political stability and reduce external influence.
• The Indian diaspora in the Maldives is an important link between the two countries.
• Tourism between India and the Maldives has grown tremendously, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• There is also a cultural connection between the people of the two countries, especially with the southern states of India.
• The Maldives is the biggest beneficiary of India’s Neighbourhood First Policy.
• In 2022, the India-funded Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) was also launched.
• India in multiple instances has helped the government of the Maldives by giving them grants and loans and bailing them out of economic pressure.
• Similarly, India has been a major contributor in providing support and financial help during natural disasters.

Also read: India-Maldives Relations

Associated Concerns:

• There is stress in India-Maldives relations as the Maldives has become attractive to various terrorist organizations from Pakistan.
• There was also a phase of radicalism that raised political instability and socio-economic instability in the Maldives. Similar risks still persist.
• The Chinese strategic presence has continued to grow in the Maldives and it is one of the important ‘pearls’ in China’s String of Pearls approach.
• There are speculations that China is attempting to establish its military base in the Maldives.
• It is also argued by many experts that the island country will become a victim of China’s debt trap diplomacy.
• The increasing presence of China in the Maldives could be a potential security threat to India.

Way Ahead:

• India and the Maldives should together bring out an arrangement to economically support the Maldives and reduce the external influence on its domestic policy.
• Economic assistance to the Maldives is an important factor in the relationship between the two countries.
• They should also focus on soft diplomacy.
• Tourism can be enhanced further as it will not only improve the employment rate but also boost the economic growth of both countries.

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