Consolidation of defence & security partnership on the agenda as Defence Minister Singh visits Maldives from May 1

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit the Maldives from May 1-3, 2023 in what India’s Ministry of Defence described as “an important landmark in building the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries”.

During the visit, Defence Minister Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Ahmed Didi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid. He will also call on Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

“The entire gamut of defence relations between the two countries will be reviewed during the deliberations,” the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday (April 30, 2023).

In tune with India’s commitment to capacity building of friendly countries and partners in the region, Defence Minister Singh will gift one Fast Patrol Vessel ship and a Landing Craft to the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF), the ministry added. During his stay in the Maldives, he will also visit the ongoing project sites in the country and interact with the Indian diaspora.

Explaining the significance of the visit, the Ministry of Defence said India and the Maldives are working closely to “effectively address shared challenges”, including maritime security, terrorism, radicalisation, piracy, trafficking, organised crime and natural disasters. India's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) along with its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy as well as Maldives’ ‘India First’ policy seek to work together to jointly develop the capabilities within the Indian Ocean Region, the ministry added.

India views the Maldives as an important strategic partner in the Indian Ocean Region. The country is a founding member of the Colombo Security Conclave, along with India and Sri Lanka. The Colombo Security Conclave was founded in 2011 as a trilateral security cooperation framework for the Indian Ocean Region. Mauritius became the forum's fourth member during the 5th Colombo Security Conclave Meeting in Male, Maldives in March 2022.

Defence Minister Singh’s visit comes a little over a month after the two nations held the 4th Defence Cooperation Dialogue (DCD) in Male on March 19, 2023.

During the meeting, co-chaired by Indian Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Chief of Defence Force, Maldives National Defence Forces Major General Abdulla Shamaal, the two sides reviewed bilateral defence cooperation activities.

“The talks covered the existing bilateral exercises, with both countries agreeing to increase the complexity of these drills,” India's Ministry of Defence had said. The DCD is the most institutionalized form of interaction between the two sides when it comes to their military forces.

Earlier, on December 20, 2022, India and the Maldives had discussed new initiatives and stronger engagement between their armed forces at the 6th Joint Staff Talks (JST) held in New Delhi.