Efforts to heal and balance

In an effort to mend the recently strained relationship with New Delhi, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu paid a state visit to India from October 6-9.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu in New Delhi, October 7. (Source: x.com/MMuizzu)

This is President Mohamed Muizzu's first bilateral visit to the important neighbor since assuming power in November last year. Unlike his predecessors, Muizzu did not visit India after assuming office, instead visiting China and Türkiye earlier this year. In June, President Muizzu visited New Delhi, but only to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The cracks

Maldives and India have a close neighborly relationship and close cooperation, especially in security and defense. For many years, Maldives has always considered India as its main security partner, while New Delhi has always identified Male as having a special position in its Neighborhood First foreign policy.

But the warm relationship has been strained since Mr Muizzu, during his 2023 campaign, pledged to end the presence of Indian troops. The rift between Male and New Delhi deepened when Mr Muizzu became President, and he began to implement what he had promised voters about his “India Out” policy and demonstrated a “pivot” closer to China.

In fact, during his “unconventional” visit to Beijing in January, Mr. Muizzu made a statement that “Maldives will not be bullied” and “is not another country’s backyard,” while outlining plans to wean the island nation off its dependence on India for medical facilities, medicines, and imports of essential goods…

Tensions between the two countries have again dominated the media after three Deputy Ministers of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts of Maldives criticized Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the Lakshadweep atoll in India to promote domestic tourism . The move has led to a wave of boycotts of Maldives tourism among the Indian community, causing the number of Indian tourists to the “paradise on earth” to drop from the first place in 2023 to the sixth place in the Maldives Tourism Market Ranking.

Relations between the two countries gradually improved when President Muizzu visited New Delhi to attend the inauguration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar visited the Maldives two months later. Before that, Mr. Muizzu had suspended and ordered an investigation into three officials who had criticized Mr. Modi.

Ahead of his visit to New Delhi, President Muizzu told the press that Maldives does not act to undermine India's security or harm regional stability and still considers New Delhi its most important partner and cooperation with India is a "top priority".

"Can't leave each other"

In New Delhi, President Muizzu met his counterpart Droupadi Murmu, held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, issued a joint statement, and witnessed the signing of several cooperation agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs). He then traveled to Mumbai and Bengaluru, where he attended business forums and met with the Maldivian community.

According to Times of India, during the talks with the guest from the beautiful island nation, the host Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of Maldives in India's Neighborhood First policy and Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision, and reaffirmed the commitment to support Maldives' development based on the priorities of this island nation.

For his part, the President of Maldives reaffirmed that cooperation with India remains a “top priority”. Commenting that India has always stood by Maldives in times of need, Mr. Muizzu thanked Prime Minister Modi, the government and people of India for their generous support and cooperation to Maldives over the years.

President Muizzu hailed New Delhi’s decision to increase support to Male in the form of a bilateral currency swap agreement worth $400 million and Rs30 billion, saying the “one-time package” move would help address some of the financial challenges Male is facing. The Maldives’ public debt is currently around $8 billion, of which $1.4 billion is owed to India and China.

The two leaders pledged to strengthen cooperation in the field of maritime security. India will continue to provide expertise and participate in joint efforts to help Maldives address traditional and non-traditional maritime threats. The two sides agreed to develop a modern commercial port at Thilafushi Island to reduce congestion at the Male port and to fully exploit the capacity of the Hanimaadhoo and Gan airports being developed with Indian support.

Furthermore, the two sides agreed to initiate discussions on a bilateral free trade agreement, and to make trade payments in each country’s local currency to strengthen trade links and reduce excessive dependence on foreign currencies. In addition, the leaders of the two countries agreed to promote investment, enhance cooperation in tourism, agriculture, fisheries, oceanography, green economy, research and development, etc. President Muizzu also invited more Indian tourists to visit the “paradise on earth” in the Indian Ocean.

Observers believe that the implicit messages and results achieved during President Muizzu’s visit this time show the “return” of Male after the rift with New Delhi and that both sides “cannot separate from each other”. Warming up relations with an important neighbor can help Maldives escape the current danger of bankruptcy and gradually bring the “intertwined like tree roots” relationship back on track, more balanced in relations with the powers that are increasing their presence and influence in the region.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/tong-thong-maldives-tham-an-do-no-luc-han-gan-va-can-bang-289547.html