International Relations

 

📝India-Maldives Relations

🛡️Background  

🔶An archipelago of 1,200 coral islands, spanning roughly 115 square miles, Maldives is Asia's smallest nation, both by area and population. 

🔶 India was among the first to recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country.

🔶 Indian Coast Guard's Dornier was the first to land at the Ibrahim Nasir Airport with relief and supplies after the tsunami of December 26, 2004.

🔶 India maintains a naval presence in Maldives, at the request of the Maldives, since 2009.

🔶 December 5, 2014, India dispatched “water aid” to the Maldivian capital of Male, after a fire destroyed the generator of its biggest water treatment plant.

🔶The first-ever presidential elections under a multi-candidate, multi-party system were held in October 2008 only to be removed in 2012 and replaced by Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in a 2013 election.

📝Security status between India and Maldives

🔶The location of Maldives in the Indian ocean makes it important from the perspective of maritime security. It is situated in a mid-way between Strait of Malacca and Suez, which are the world’s busiest trade routes and thousands of cargoes pass through these trade routes.

 

🔶At the same time, as Kerala and Lakshadweep are in close proximity to the Maldivian islands, there are always India’s concerns about the possible use of Maldives’ territory against it. 

 

🔶Maldives also occupies a special place in India’s foreign policy priority list because of increasing cases of piracy in the Indian Ocean near Somalia and Strait of Malacca, which has made the position of Maldives very important for establishing Naval bases for security in the Indian Ocean. 

 

🔶In 2014 it was decided that next meeting would be held in Maldives. However, it remains to be held.

📝Economic and Development Cooperation between India and Maldives 

🔶 India is a leading development partner and has established many of the leading institutions of Maldives including the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH), Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET) and Faculty of Hospitality & Tourism Studies (IMFFHTS).  

🔶Currently, India has provided US $ 100 million Stand-by Credit facility (SCF) to Maldives, including long-term loans and revolving credit for trade. 

🔶 Under new Line of Credit worth US$40 million offered by the Government of India to Maldives, the Overseas Infrastructure Alliance (OIA) of India has been given a contract to construct 485 housing units in Maldives. 

🔶 India and Maldives signed a trade agreement in 1981, which provides for export of essential commodities. Growing from modest beginnings, India-Maldives bilateral trade  

stood at Rs.700 crores (MEA, 2015).

📝Democratic Transition in Maldives

🔶Maumoon Abdul Gauoom served as the president of Maldives from 1978 to 2008.

🔶 In 2008 under pressure from the civil society democratic reforms were initiated and a new constitution was adopted 

🔶Mohamed Nasheed was the first democratically-elected President of Maldives in 2008. He was made to step down after a series of events that has been described in some quarters as a coup in 2012. 

🔶Ever since the Indian Ocean archipelago is witnessing political tussles. 

🔶Nasheed had taken refuge at Indian High Commission once, fearing arrest under the regime of his successor. 

🔶In 2013 Abdulla Yameen was elected president in 2013 

🔶Nasheed Was jailed for 13 years in 2015 on terrorism charges, his conviction was widely condemned internationally. In 2016 Mohd. Nasheed received poltical asylum in the UK.

📝Recent Dynamics In Maldives

🔶 For China Maldives is a key link in its maritime silk road plan under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

🔶In December 2017, Maldives Signed a Free Trade Agreement with China, while endorsing its Maritime Silk Road project shunned by India for its strategic implications in the Indian Ocean.Maldives’ strategy of achieving economic progress by making use of its geographic advantages. 

🔶 In 2012 relations between India and Maldives came under a strain after Male had terminated the agreement it entered into with GMR in 2010 for the modernisation of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport.

🔶The country's anti-graft watchdog has ruled out any corruption in the leasing of the international airport to GMR. The airport expansion project was subsequently given to the  

Chinese company, which will plough in US $ 800 million.