India-Maldives Relations

Why in news?

External Affairs Minister of India visited Maldives, at a fraught time for the country’s president, Ibrahim Solih, who will run for a second term in the presidential election.

What does this mean to India?

• For Delhi, the feuding over the election in the Maldives is bad news.
• Relations between India and the Maldives have improved dramatically since 2018, when Solih defeated Abdulla Yameen, president from 2013 to 2018 who had a pro-China tilt.
• Now Abdulla Yameen is the presidential candidate in the election.

What are India’s involvements in Maldives?

Greater Male Connectivity Project

• The $500-million Greater Male Connectivity project is the biggest infra project that India has begun in Maldives.
• This project aims to link the Maldives capital to 3 neighboring highlands with a 6.74-k bridge and causeway over the sea.

Hanimadhoo Airport

• India is developing an international airport at Hanimadhoo in Haaa Dahaalu atoll of the Maldivian archipelago.
• The $ 136.6-million development of the Hanimadhoo airport has been financed by a line of credit to the Maldives from India’s Exim Bank.
• It will be executed by the Indian company JMC Projects Ltd.
• It includes the development of a 2.46-km runway, and a terminal with an annual capacity for 1.3 million passengers.
• This is the second biggest infra project that India has begun in recent months after the $500-million Greater Male Connectivity project.

Both Greater Male Connectivity project and Hanimadhoo Airport are prestige projects for Delhi that compete in scale with the Chinese built Male-Hulumale-Hulhule bridge and the Hulumale airport.

Other projects

• In the Manadhoo island of Noonu atoll, the two sides signed three MoUs, including
  • a proposed collaboration between Cochin University and Maldives National University, and
  • a $100 million grant for “high impact community development” projects.
• In the Foakaidhoo Island in the Shaviyani atoll, India has inaugurated an India-funded community centre.

What is the history of India-Maldives relations?

• India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity and enjoy close, cordial and multi-dimensional relations.
• India was among the first to recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country.
• India established its mission at the level of CDA in 1972 and resident High Commissioner in 1980.
• Maldives opened a full-fledged High Commission in New Delhi in 2004, at that time one of its only four diplomatic missions worldwide.

What had developed the India-Maldives relationship?

• Three incidents (in 1988, 2004 and 2014) had established the advantages of India’s proximity and capacity to come to Maldives’ rescue in distress vis-à-vis any other country.

• India’s rapid and comprehensive assistance to the Maldives since the COVID-19 pandemic began has further reinforced India’s credentials of being the first responder.

How do both countries interact on international level?

• Maldives had consistently supported India in multilateral fora, such as the UN, the Commonwealth, the NAM and the SAARC.
• Maldives co-sponsored the G-4 draft resolutions on UN reforms.
• India has extended support to Maldives candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the term 2019-20.

The importance of India’s strategic role in Maldives is well-recognized, with India being seen as a net security provider. ‘India First’ has been a stated policy of the Government of Maldives.

Reference

1. Indian Express | Maldives polls, India’s concerns
2. Ministry of External Affairs | India-Maldives Relations
3. High Commission of India | India-Maldives Bilateral Relations