Maldives Defence Minister to be in India for high-level talks on Wednesday

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from Maldives Mohammed Ghassan Maumoon in New Delhi on Wednesday, the defence ministry said.

It said the two ministers will review the various facets of bilateral defence cooperation, including training, exercises and defence projects, to enhance the capability of the Maldives National Defence Forces as well as supply of defence equipment.

The Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday the Maldivian Defence Minister will pay a three-day visit to India from Wednesday. He will also visit Goa and Mumbai.

The Ministry added, “The Maldives occupies a special place in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy, which aims to bring stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

“Both nations are key players in maintaining safety and security of IOR, thus contributing to India’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region,” it added.

India and Maldives share common challenges in the IOR which have multi-dimensional implications for the security and development of both the countries.

Maldives, with its vast Exclusive Economic Zone, is exposed to traditional and non-traditional maritime challenges including piracy, illegal fishing, drug smuggling, and terrorism.

This is the third high profile visit from Maldives in as many months and the second one in the past one week -- the Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel was here from January 2-4.

In October, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu visited India for bilateral task with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the meeting, a ‘vision for comprehensive economic and maritime security partnership’ was announced.

India is funding Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) ‘Ekatha’ harbour project at Uthuru Thila Falhu.

India agreed to support Maldives with provisioning of defence platforms and assets to augment capabilities of MNDF as well as that of the government of Maldives in advancing its maritime and security requirements in line with its national priorities.

New Delhi will assist Maldives in the domain of ‘information sharing’ by supporting the development of capabilities through infrastructure, training and sharing of best practices.

India will also increase capacity building and training slots for MNDF, Maldives Police Services, and other security organisations of Maldives.

Courtesy: The Tribune India : 7th Jan, 2025