The article discusses the recent commissioning of the coastal surveillance radar system in the Maldives by the Indian grant-in-aid UTF (Uthuru Thila Falhu- Island) Harbour Project. The project is a big step forward in the two countries’ burgeoning defence ties.
The UTF Project
- The UTF project was announced during the February 2021 visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
- It is one of the most significant Indian grant-in-aid projects in the Maldives.
- Its goal is to establish a naval vessel maintenance and repair hub that will assist the Maldives in becoming self-sufficient.
The Project’s Importance
- The initiative was a significant step forward in India-Maldives defence cooperation.
- The station will improve the Maldivian Coast Guard’s capability and promote regional humanitarian assistance and disaster relief initiatives.
The Project Is Arguably Controversial
- There were claims that the project was a ruse to conceal India’s military involvement in the Maldives.
- The island nation’s opposition leader, Abdulla Yameen, has begun a “India Out” campaign.
- As a threat to national security, Maldives President Ibrahim Solih has banned anti-India protests.
Defence Cooperation and Other Initiatives
- In the past, India has sent the Maldives a Dornier aircraft and a patrol vessel.
- India has donated 24 cars and a naval boat, and would construct police facilities on 61 of the country’s islands.
- The joint statement issued by India and the Maldives during Defence Minister Singh’s visit emphasised the two countries’ continuous defence cooperation.
- The countries have agreed to look into new areas of cooperation, such as defence trade, capacity building, and joint exercises.
- Both countries are collaborating to handle issues like as maritime security, terrorism, radicalization, piracy, trafficking, organised crime, and natural disasters.
- India has contributed $500 million to the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), which would construct a 6.74-kilometer bridge and causeway connecting Male, the Maldives’ capital, with other islands.
Background on India-Maldives Relations
- India and the Maldives are neighbours with a shared marine border.
- Following the Maldives’ independence from British administration in 1966, both countries established diplomatic relations.
- India was among the first countries to recognise the Maldives’ independence.
- India and the Maldives have maintained close strategic, military, economic, and cultural ties since then.
- Maldivians typically see Indians and India as economic, social, and political friends and neighbours.
Reasons for anti-India sentiment
- Political unrest: The anti-India feeling dates back nearly a decade, to the election of Abdulla Gayoom as president in 2013. He leveraged anti-India emotions to mobilise his political base and began to favour China.
- Controversy over helicopter gift: India gave the Maldives two Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALF) for ocean search-and-rescue missions. The opposition attempted to spin this as a military presence in the country.
- Confidential agreements: The majority of agreements negotiated between the Ibrahim Solih government and India are backdoor and have not been reviewed publicly in the Maldives Parliament.
- Alleged meddling in internal politics: Because India is a large neighbour, there are unfounded impressions and allegations that Indian diplomats stationed in the Maldives are intervening in domestic matters.
Reestablishment of ties
- Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who took office in 2018, has revived the Maldives’ longstanding connections with India.
Major irritants in ties
- Political Instability: India’s major concern has been the impact of political instability in the neighborhood on its security and development.
- Increasing radicalization: Over the last decade or two, the number of Maldivians drawn to terrorist organisations like as the Islamic State (IS) and Pakistan-based jihadist groups has grown.
- Terrorism: The island nation’s radicalism has enhanced the likelihood of Pakistan-based terror organisations exploiting distant Maldivian islands as a launch pad for terror attacks against India and Indian interests.
- Chinese affinities: China’s strategic footprint in India’s immediate neighbourhood has grown. The Maldives has emerged as a significant ‘pearl’ in China’s South Asian “String of Pearls” construction.
India’s recent actions
[1] 2014 Male drinking-water crisis
- Following the collapse of the island’s lone water treatment plant in December 2014, Maldives requested emergency assistance from India.
- India responded by sending heavy lift transporters such as the C-17 Globemaster III and the Il-76 carrying bottled water.
[2] 2020 Covid-19 crisis
- During the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, India provided financial, material, and logistical assistance to the Maldives.
- In addition, as part of ‘Operation Sanjeevani,’ the IAF delivered 6.2 tonnes of vital pharmaceuticals and hospital consumables to the Maldives.
[3] Greater Male Connectivity Project
- The signing of a $500 million infrastructure project for the development of the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP) by India was recently announced.
- This infrastructure project, India’s largest in the Maldives, entails the construction of a 6.74-kilometer-long bridge and causeway link.
The significance of the Maldives for India
- Expanding maritime cooperation: As marine economic activity in the Indian Ocean has increased considerably in recent decades, so has geopolitical competition in the region.
- Indian Ocean Toll Gate: It is located at the crossroads of commercial sea-lanes that flow through the Indian Ocean. The region handles more than 97% of India’s international trade by volume and 75% by value.
- Naval cooperation: The Maldives is an essential partner in India’s role as the Indian Ocean Region’s net security provider.
- SAARC’s most important member: Maldives also belongs to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC).
- People-to-People Contact: There is a sizable Maldivian student population in India. They are helped by India’s liberal visa-free environment. Medical tourism is another option.
- Tourist destination: Tourism is the Maldivian economy’s mainstay. For some Indians, the country is now a major tourism destination, while for others, it is an employment destination.
Way ahead
- India remains a key partner for the Maldives.
- India must not become complacent with its position and must keep a close eye on developments in the Maldives.
- To secure regional security in South Asia and along its maritime borders, India must play a vital role within the Indo-Pacific security space.
- The ‘India Out’ campaign now has a small number of supporters, but the Indian government cannot take this for granted.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/why-the-recent-maldives-coast-guard-harbour-project-is-yet-another-milestone-in-india-maldives-ties/