NEW DELHI: India and the Maldives on Wednesday agreed to “deepen their cooperation” in the defence and security domains, while underscoring the significance of respecting the international laws and rules-based order, amid China’s growing influence into the Indian Ocean region (IOR).
After defence minister Rajnath Singh handed over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the Maldives on Tuesday, he and his counterpart Mariya Didi on Wednesday also jointly laid the foundation stone for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Ekatha harbour. The development of the coast guard harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the biggest grant-in-aid projects of India.
India has further stepped up its diplomatic and military engagement with the Maldives after the government led by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power in 2018 to counter China’s inroads into the archipelago.
On Wednesday, in a joint communiqué at the end of Singh’s visit to the Maldives, the two countries reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region and recognised the need to work together to address common security challenges.
They also expressed their commitment to upholding the principles of respecting international laws and rules-based order, which comes in the backdrop of China’s belligerence in the entire Indo-Pacific region.
The two ministers welcomed the progress made in the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation, including joint exercises, military exchanges and visits, while noting the importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas like counter-terrorism, disaster management, cybersecurity and maritime security.
“The ministers agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including in the areas of defence trade, capacity-building and joint exercises. They also discussed the need to promote people-to-people contacts and exchanges between the armed forces of both countries,” the statement said.
“Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the partnership between their countries, and expressed common sentiments that they looked forward to continuing the dialogue and cooperation in the future,” it added.
After defence minister Rajnath Singh handed over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the Maldives on Tuesday, he and his counterpart Mariya Didi on Wednesday also jointly laid the foundation stone for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Ekatha harbour. The development of the coast guard harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru is one of the biggest grant-in-aid projects of India.
India has further stepped up its diplomatic and military engagement with the Maldives after the government led by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came to power in 2018 to counter China’s inroads into the archipelago.
On Wednesday, in a joint communiqué at the end of Singh’s visit to the Maldives, the two countries reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region and recognised the need to work together to address common security challenges.
They also expressed their commitment to upholding the principles of respecting international laws and rules-based order, which comes in the backdrop of China’s belligerence in the entire Indo-Pacific region.
The two ministers welcomed the progress made in the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation, including joint exercises, military exchanges and visits, while noting the importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas like counter-terrorism, disaster management, cybersecurity and maritime security.
“The ministers agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including in the areas of defence trade, capacity-building and joint exercises. They also discussed the need to promote people-to-people contacts and exchanges between the armed forces of both countries,” the statement said.
“Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the partnership between their countries, and expressed common sentiments that they looked forward to continuing the dialogue and cooperation in the future,” it added.
