Strategic Perspective of India-Maldives Relations

Their bilateral treaty signed on 8 August 1949 provides the framework for India-Maldives relations and are guided by the principle of ‘beneficial bilateralism’. Implicit in this principle is mutual appreciation of issues and concerns by the two countries, and equal respect and understanding for each other’s sensitivities while maintaining the core national interests.

Unlike other littoral states in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is not afflicted with the big power versus small power syndrome for the simple reason that its relationship with India is based on understanding, mutual respect and genuine desire for forging areas cooperation and commonalities in the conduct of their bilateral relations. This was evident from the amicable way in which the two countries reached an agreement in 1976 to demarcate their maritime boundary by adopting the median line principle.

For Maldives, its geo-strategic location is a cause for its vulnerability, which became more evident in the wake of overt militarization of the Indian Ocean and the heightening Super Power rivalry in the 1970s and the 1980s and which even continued to the new millennium with China eyeing for strategic advantage through its “String of Pearls’ strategy.  Being a vulnerable country geographically, Maldives considers India as a key source for enhancing its security. Its vulnerability arising out of its geo-strategic location is aggravated by the absence of a required military strength of its own to safeguard its security - one of the highpoints being India’s assistance to Maldives to thwart a coup in 1988 to oust the then President Maumoon Abd al-Gayoom. Indian troops launched Operation Cactus to counter the coup initiated by a group of Maldivians led by Abdullah Luthufi.

On the areas of defence cooperation, both countries have a track record of strengthening their defence ties through a wide range of activities on multiple fronts. The Maldives and India have been conducting a series of Coast Guard maritime joint training exercises codenamed “DOSTI” since 1991 in addition to other joint defence interactions. The Indian Coast Guard conducted twelfth edition of the joint exercise of “DOSTI-XII” with the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Sri Lankan Coast Guard at Male, Maldives from 28-31 October 2014. These bi-annual Maldives – India DOSTI exercises were initiated with the objective of strengthening cooperation between the Coast Guards of both countries, with a view to enhance mutual capabilities. The joint training exercise expanded to include Sri Lanka which resulted in bi-annual “Trilateral Joint Coast Guard Exercises”. The exercise was also viewed by representatives from maritime forces of Seychelles and Mauritius.  In addition, a joint army training exercise to enhance the close military ties codenamed “Ekuverin” exists between the Maldives and India. A large number of defence services personnel from the Maldives are trained in various defence establishments in India every year. Consequently, Indian armed forces have played an instrumental role and have closely worked with the Maldivian counterparts to enhance the overall defence and security capability of the Maldives. The focus areas during DOSTI is to exercise the important charter of Coast Guard duties, including Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR), Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), Marine Pollution Response (POLRES) and Anti-piracy operations as well as disaster management.

Maldives is a vital component of India’s new maritime strategy, considering its expanding presence in the western Indian Ocean with its commercial and strategic route to the African continent extending to the Western Hemisphere. The significance of the island nation was reinforced by the 2009 defence pact signed between India and the Maldives to boost strategic ties.

The defence agreement includes active operational assistance by India’s tri-services to the Maldives Armed Forces and intelligence sharing. As per this pact, the two countries have agreed to bolster defence cooperation aimed at bolstering Maldivian security. India has agreed to set up a radar network across the Maldives, which will benefit the island nation as it does not have a Navy of its own. These maritime network radars will be linked with Indian military surveillance systems. The defence pact also includes protection of the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone and enhances cooperation in maritime surveillance and aerial mobility. India has offered to help the Maldives government in its surveillance of its Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends for 200 nautical miles from its shores, through the fast attack craft, INS Tilanchang.  This will allow Maldives to safeguard and augment its economic and strategic maritime assets.

Going beyond the strategic importance of Maldives, New Delhi and Male have initiated active counter-terrorism mechanisms to thwart any future seaborne terror attacks on the Indian soil, similar to the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. This joint counter-terrorism mechanism will include active intelligence sharing on a continual basis aimed at specifically nullifying any sort of misadventure that may be attempted by terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Indo-Maldives defence and security ties, which form an important part of India’s strategic outreach to the Indian Ocean, are all set to expand in the foreseeable future. It is being manifested in view of the Indian government’s endeavour to include small island nations in its overall Grand Strategy. 

Views expressed by the author are personal. Author is Hony. Director (Research) and, Professor and Head, Dept. of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Jamia Millia Islamia