India re-affirms support to Maldives for military preparedness
India has re-affirmed its readiness to support Maldives in building its defence preparedness, including provisioning of defence equipment and training for its personnel.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made the commitment at a bilateral meeting he had with his Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon here today.
The Ministry of Defence in a statement said the two ministers “comprehensively reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence and security cooperation”. Both sides reasserted a firm commitment to work closely in realising the joint vision for ‘India-Maldives comprehensive economic and maritime security partnership’, announced in October last year, when Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu visited India for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
India and Maldives have a multi-faceted bilateral defence cooperation, including training, regular exercises, defence projects, workshops and seminars to enhance the capability of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) as well as supply of defence equipment and stores.
In October last year, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that India is funding the ‘Ekatha’ harbour project at Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). India has committed to supporting the Maldives by providing defence platforms and assets to strengthen the capabilities of both the MNDF and the Government of Maldives in addressing maritime and security requirements aligned with their national priorities.
As part of this collaboration, the Maldives will gain enhanced surveillance and monitoring capabilities, with India supplying radar systems and other equipment. India will also assist in the domain of information sharing by supporting capacity development through infrastructure, training and the exchange of best practices.
Additionally, India plans to increase capacity-building initiatives and training opportunities for the MNDF, the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and other security agencies in the Maldives.
India and the Maldives face shared challenges in the Indian Ocean Region, which have significant implications for the security and development of both nations. With its vast Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Maldives is vulnerable to traditional and non-traditional maritime threats, including piracy, illegal fishing, drug smuggling and terrorism.
The Maldivian Defence Minister is currently on his first official visit to India from January 8-10. This marks the third high-profile visit from the Maldives in three months and the second in the past week, following the visit of Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel from January 2–4.
