Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu this week exited the 2019 agreement for cooperation in the field of hydrology between the Indian Navy and Maldives National Defence Force, according to a report by The Times of India.
Officials from Male on Thursday notified their counterparts in New Delhi about their decision. The agreement was signed when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Maldives in 2019.
Under the conditions of the agreement, the Indian Navy was allowed to carry out extensive hydrographic surveys in the Maldives which would helped the latter improve navigation safety. It would also help Maldivian economy and bolster its security.
The agreement also focused on environmental protection, coastal zone management and scientific research. When Muizzu’s predecessor, Ibrahim Solih, was in power, navies of both nations carried out three such surveys.
Pro-China leader Muizzu who is a protégé of Abdulla Yameen, the creator of ‘India Out’ campaign and former president who was jailed for corruption, under whom he served as construction minister.
He met Communist Party of China (CPC) officials during a virtual meeting in 2022 and said if his party, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), is voted to power he would expand the “strong ties between our two countries".
During these elections, he asked Maldivians to vote keeping in mind that they have to set a great example of nationalism.
Muizzu has already asked officials to expedite work on Indian economic projects like the flagship $ 500 million Greater Male Connectivity Project, the newspaper said in its report.
He has been intent on ensuring that Indian army personnel involved in operating and maintaining the 2 naval choppers and a Dornier aircraft India gifted to Male. Even though he acknowledged that necessity of Indian assistance involved in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief activities, he claimed that India agreed to take back its soldiers.
He met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dubai on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit and agreed to enhance bilateral ties and find “workable solutions".
The newspaper also pointed out that Maldives skipped the NSA-level Colombo Security Conclave dialogue despite being a member-state along with India, Sri Lanka and Mauritius.
Officials in Male deny pro-China bias but the decision to exit the hydrology agreement signals a shift in the strategically placed atoll’s foreign policy.
Location: Male, Maldives