Are India and the Maldives burying the hatchet?
India and the Maldives may be moving to stabilise their bilateral ties after tensions. Since President Mohamed Muizzu took office last year, the removal of Indian troops from the Maldives has complicated diplomatic relations. But bilateral ties may be settling down.
In November, President Mohamed Muizzu took over from the staunchly pro-India Ibrahim Solih. In his campaign, Muizzu portrayed India’s military presence—at around 80 personnel—as an affront to the nation’s sovereignty and campaigned for their removal. This year, he embarked on a visit to China where he signed a slew of agreements with Beijing.
In January, a major controversy erupted when three ministers made social media posts that were seen as insulting to India and PM Narendra Modi. New Delhi summoned the Maldivian high commissioner as a result and the three politicians were suspended. Muizzu has made clear that his administration will not follow the “India First" policy several of his predecessors.
He has attempted to court a number of other powers like China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. His perceived affinity to China, which sponsored development projects when Muizzu was housing minister, has been a worry for New Delhi. He also comes from a political tradition that has been sceptical of India in the past.
For example, Muizzu was considered close to former president Abdulla Yameen, who clashed with New Delhi repeatedly and attempted to get close to China. Muizzu’s visit to Beijing allowed a number of critical projects to move forward. The two countries also signed a defence deal just weeks before Muizzu said he would not renew a hydrographic cooperation pact with India.
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