Mint Explainer: Why’s the Maldives cold shouldering India?
On Thursday, the Maldivian government announced it would terminate a hydrography agreement signed with India in 2019. The decision came shortly after the newly elected administration of Mohamed Muizzu asked India to withdraw its troops from the island country–a day after he took charge. The two countries have mostly had cordial relations, with India providing administrative and infrastructure support.
But a section of Maldivian politicians haven’t been comfortable with India’s presence in the archipelago. The Maldives does have a history of flip-flopping between India and China. What’s happening now under the new government at Male? Mint takes a look at the state of India-Maldives relations.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2019 visit to the Maldives, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on hydrography cooperation. This paved the way for both sides to carry out maritime surveys and chart Maldivian territorial waters. For example, in 2022, the Indian Navy’s INS Sutlej carried out a joint hydrographic survey with its Maldivian counterparts.
On Thursday, Mohamed Firuzul Abdul Khaleel, undersecretary for public policy at the Maldives President’s Office, stated at a press conference that the Maldives will not renew the agreement with India. Firuzul stated the decision stemmed from national security concerns. Future hydrographic surveys will be carried out by the Maldives alone, he said, given the nature of the “sensitive" information involved.
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