New Delhi: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj made her maiden visit to Maldives and reiterated India’s position on the island nation, terming ties between the two countries as a highly important relationship.
Swaraj met Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during her two-day visit which started on Sunday.
The visit, however, was marred by anti-India protests in Male, eventually did not go as planned. Led by former home minister Umar Naseer, the protestors were speaking against Indian military presence in Maldives. The agitation, however, was not given permission to go ahead and Naseer is said to have termed the refusal ‘unconstitutional.”
The Maldivian defence minister, in an exclusive interview to News18 earlier this year, had reiterated that her country faced no problem with the presence of two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) that were gifted to Maldives by India.
Naseer however, as per a report in Maldives Independent, started “India’s Soldiers Leave” Campaign last month.
The two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters were said to be a gift from India to Maldives in 2013. One of them was operated by the Indian Coast Guard and the other one by the Indian Navy. The Maldivian government under Abdulla Yameen made it clear in 2018 that it wanted India to take back the copters and the crew, which includes around 6 pilots.
That has so far not happened. Pro-China, former President Abdulla Yameen lost the presidential election in September last year and the new government of his successor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, has drawn the country closer to India, probing several infrastructure deals awarded to the Chinese. Yameen is currently under house arrest as investigations into cases of money laundering against him are ongoing.
Cricket Stadium, New Land For Embassy: Maldives, India Strengthen Ties
Notably, India has now been granted land in the reclaimed new island of Hulhumale. Further, India has now agreed to renew the quota for essential commodities, including river and stone aggregate for a period of three years starting this April.
Solih’s government has also requested India to construct a cricket stadium which India has agreed to, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.
This was the first full-fledged bilateral visit from India to Maldives after the new government in the island nation resumed office last year.
“Both foreign ministers agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region, and to strengthen coordination in enhancing regional maritime security. EAM thanked the Maldives for its steadfast support against terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations. FM Shahid expressed the commitment of the Maldives to support efforts to combat terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism, and crimes such as piracy, organized crime, narcotic drugs and human trafficking,” the MEA said.
The key agreements signed during the visit include one on exemption of visa for official and diplomatic passport holders, an MoU regarding Indian grant assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects through Local Bodies, and an MoU on Collaboration in the Field of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The two countries have also decided to hold the Maldives-India business forum later this year to boost private sector investments.
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