Rajnath, Maldives minister launch Delhi-assisted harbour construction

The UTF Harbour Project, as it is called, is among the biggest Indian grant-in-aid projects in Maldives.

Singh was on a three-day visit to Maldives that ended Wednesday. The UTF project, announced during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit in February 2021, has been at the centre of a political controversy in the Maldives.

Allegations that the project was a cover for Indian military presence in the Indian Ocean nation were part of an “India Out” campaign, backed by the country’s Opposition leader Abdulla Yameen. Last April, Maldives President Ibrahim Solih banned anti-India protests as a threat to national security.

However, the rumblings have continued, with anti-India campaigners alleging that Indian troops were stationed in a fast patrol vessel India recently gifted to Maldives Coast Guard. The ship was commissioned as CGS Huravee on Tuesday in the presence of Singh, Didi, and President Solih. It was given as replacement for an identically named older ship that India had given a few years ago. The replacement gift was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during President Solih’s recent visit to India.

At the commissioning ceremony, Didi sought to dispel rumours about Indian troop presence aboard the ship. According to a report on Maldivian news site Avas, Didi said that an Indian crew was present on the ship while it was docked in Male for only training purposes, but it would have only Maldivian personnel from now. “With the vessel’s commissioning today, Major Ahmed Zaeem will be the first commanding officer of the vessel. The vessel’s full complement will be composed of Maldivian soldiers,” she said.

In October 2021, the Solih government told a Parliamentary committee on national security that Yameen had signed off on an Action Plan on Defence Cooperation between Maldives and India during his 2016 visit to India when he was the island-nation’s President. The UTF project was one of 10 areas for cooperation outlined in the signed during that visit, and the steps taken by the present government were part of this plan.

A joint statement issued during Singh’s visit said he also gifted the MNDF an additional landing craft. “The handing over of these vessels are in line with India’s vision of Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) that seeks to work together with and jointly develop the capabilities of friends and partners for a safe, secure, prosperous and stable Indian Ocean Region,” the joint statement said.

The Defence Ministers held bilateral talks to enhance defence cooperation and strengthen the longstanding partnership between India and the Maldives. They discussed a wide range of regional and global security issues of mutual concern, and agreed to deepen their cooperation in the defence and security domains, according to the joint statement said.

Maldives is among India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and New Delhi has been seeking to expand ties with Male — including in areas of defence and security — amid China’s efforts to expand its influence in the region.

Significantly, Singh’s visit came just after his meeting with China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu in Delhi on the sidelines of the SCO Defence Ministerss meet, and ahead of the SCO Foreign Ministers’ meet in Goa.

In 2020, India had gifted a Dornier aircraft to Maldives and in 2019 handed over a patrol vessel. Last year, New Delhi had also given a coastal radar system to Male. Last year, Modi had announced that India will provide 24 vehicles and a naval boat and will build police facilities on 61 islands of the country.

As per the joint statement, the ministers welcomed the progress made in the ongoing defence cooperation between the two neighbours, including joint exercises and exchanges of visits by military officials. They noted the importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas such as counterterrorism, disaster management, cybersecurity and maritime security.

They also agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including in areas of defence trade, capacity building and joint exercises, according to the statement. They discussed the need to promote people-to-people contact and exchanges between armed forces of the two countries and reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region and recognised the need to work together to address common security challenges.

“They underscored the importance of respecting international law and rules-based international order and expressed their commitment to upholding these principles,” the statement said.

During the visit, Singh paid a courtesy call on Solih and met Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. They reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen the partnership between their countries, and expressed common sentiments that they looked forward to continuing the dialogue and cooperation in future. “The visit renewed the sense of commitment of the two friendly neighbours to enhance the security and prosperity of their respective countries and the region,” the statement added.