New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with his Maldivian counterpart Mohammed Ghassan Maumoon on Wednesday in the national capital, where he reiterated India's unconditional support to Male in its development projects and supply of defence equipment.
Notably, Maumoon is on a three-day visit to India from Wednesday in order to deepen bilateral engagement ties amid a thaw in relations between the two countries.
India, Maldives to advance Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership
In his opening remarks at a delegation-level talk with his Maldivian counterpart, Singh recalled his last meeting with Maumoon when Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu had a state visit to New Delhi. "India has been offering avenues of capacity building to the Maldives in all the fields of defence cooperation, including training, regular exercises, workshops, and seminars to enhance the capability of the Maldives National Defense Forces as well as supply of defence equipment and stores," said Singh.
India will continue to support the Maldives: Defence Minister
"It would be important to ensure that we continue the same momentum. India will continue to support the Maldives and the Maldives National Defence Force in their capacity-building efforts through projects, equipment and training. As a trusted partner and a close friend, I assure you that India will continue to support Maldives on its development needs and welfare of its people...," he added.
The Indian defence minister noted that the visit of the President of the Maldives has provided a new orientation to the bilateral relationship, and the Joint Vision Document released during the visit acts as a guiding principle for both nations.
"The relations have always been close, cordial, and multi-dimensional. Maldives occupied a special place under Neighbourhood's First Policy of India, which aimed to bring stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region. Also, both nations are key players in maintaining the safety and security of the Indian Ocean region, thus contributing to 'Security And Growth For All' (SAGAR) in the region..." he added.
Minister Maumoon appreciated India’s historical role as the ‘First Responder’ for the Maldives, and thanked New Delhi for assisting Male in augmenting the modern infrastructural capacities and training of defence and security personnel. On the Government of Maldives’ request, India handed over defence equipment and stores to the Maldives.
India-Maldives relations
It is worth mentioning that Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall bilateral ties including in areas of defence and security witnessed an upward trajectory under the previous government in Male.
The visit by the Maldivian minister comes over eight months after India withdrew its military personnel from the island nation following a demand by its pro-China president Mohamed Muizzu. The ties, however, came under severe strain after Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office in November 2023. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians. There was a thaw in relations as Muizzu vowed to boost bilateral ties with India during his visit to Delhi in October.
(With inputs from agency)
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