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Maldives President-Elect Calls for Respect for Sovereignty, India Stresses Cooperation on Security Challenges

After his victory, Muizzu had reiterated that his administration would commence work on removing Indian military personnel from the first day of his job. His presidential term will be inaugurated on November 17.

New Delhi: India would like to “collaborate closely” with Maldives to address regional challenges like transnational crimes and disaster relief, even as President-elect Mohamed Muizzu said that the major pressing issue that needs to be resolved after he takes over formally is relations with New Delhi.

One of the major campaign pledges by Muizzu, who won the presidential polls in Maldives with 54% of the votes against the incumbent, had been a commitment to not allowing the deployment of Indian military personnel in the Maldives. This had also been the basis of an ‘India Out’ campaign run by the opposition, based on the presumption that Indian troops were active in the Maldives.

During the weekly media briefing in New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, answering questions about the new Maldives President-elect’s statements on Indian troops, said that there was need to work closely on regional security challenges.

“All I would say… the focus of our partnership with the Maldives has always been on capacity building and working together to address our shared challenges and priorities, including security challenges and priorities. As neighbours, we need to collaborate closely to address these challenges confronting our region, such as transnational crimes and Humanitarian and Disaster Relief situations. We look forward to engaging with the new administration in the Maldives with all these issues,” he said on Thursday.

Bagchi also said that the Indian prime minister had been the “first leader” to congratulate Muizzu on his victory on Sunday morning.

“Let me take the opportunity to congratulate the Maldivian people for once again demonstrating their faith in democratic governance and constitutional processes that reflect their firm commitment to the values of democracy and rule of law,” he noted.

The Indian high commissioner Munu Mahawar called on the president-elect on Wednesday and also handed over a letter from the Indian leader. “He had a good discussion on various aspects of our bilateral partnership, including development cooperation,” said the MEA spokesperson.

The president-elect’s office had issued a readout of the discussions in Malé that Muizzu had said that he hoped to “restore relations with India on the basis of respect for sovereignty”.

Muizzu, as per his office, said that the Maldivian people had voted in the presidential election to “protect the country’s sovereignty, and expressed confidence India will respect the decision”. He also raised the issue of repayment of loans taken by the Solih administration.

Assuring that India will fully respect Maldives’ independence and sovereignty, Mahawar responded that New Delhi was ready to negotiate debt repayment, according to the president-elect’s office.

In an interview to Mihaaru News published on Thursday, Muizzu said that the most pressing issue that needs to be resolved once he assumes office is his country’s relationship with India.

Among the issues listed were the large debt owed to India and the presence of Indian troops in the Maldives.

“If we don’t have foreign troops, we do not have any problems. If we have the freedom to speak for ourselves in the affairs of our country and what our country has to say on other platforms in the world, then we would not have issues with any country in the world,” said Muizzu.

The Solih administration had repeatedly denied that there was any Indian military activity in the Maldives.

Asked about the large projects funded by India, he said that there were no issues as long as there were no military personnel posted in those areas.

“For example, when the Hanimaadhoo Airport is built, there will be engineers there. But it doesn’t have to be [Indian] soldiers. Being a soldier is the problem. We have to ask them to sort it out. It has to be sorted out. Civilians have to be there to work. Even if they don’t wear the uniform, the problem is that there are military personnel,” Muizzu said.

The Maldivian outlet also asked Muizzu about The Wire’s report that quoted his foreign affairs adviser Mohammed Hussain Shareef ‘Mundhu’ as saying that the first foreign visit would be to India.

Asked about his remarks, Muizzue told Mihaaru News that he believed that the tradition of new Maldivian presidents making their first visit to India should continue. He said that, given the current situation, it would be ideal for him to make his first trip to India, but that no decision has still been made on it.

After Fire at SBI and Anti-India Protests, Maldives Beefs up Security for Indian High Commission

The government handed over the security of the diplomatic premises from the police to Maldives National Defence Forces.

New Delhi: After a major fire damaged the office of the State Bank of India and opposition parties held a major rally through the streets of the capital against Indian development projects, the Maldives government on Saturday upgraded the security of the Indian high commission in Malé by handing over the perimeter to Maldivian defence forces.

Indian sources confirmed that Maldives had handed over the security of the diplomatic premises from the police to Maldives National Defence Forces. This is the first time that armed security personnel will be guarding the Indian diplomatic mission, since Maldivian police had been unarmed.

It is learnt that the Maldives government had increased the security on their own. There had been no request from the Indian side.

Sources stated that the Maldivian government had beefed up the security following a massive fire at a high rise building, half of whose floors are occupied by State Bank of India on Friday night. “We don’t know yet if it was an accident or sabotage. The police investigation is going on, but the government thought it prudent to increase security for Indian diplomatic assets,” a senior Indian official told The Wire.

In a statement, SBI Maldives, which is one of the biggest banks in the Indian ocean nation, stated that there was “substantial damage” in all the five floors that housed its offices. However, the bank announced that it would resume banking services on Sunday.

Besides the fire, the threat perception to the Indian high commission had also increased due to a high-voltage rally by the opposition on the same day, sources stated.

Also read: Maldives: India Bids to Overtake China in Funding ‘High Visibility’ Infrastructure

Earlier on Friday, the opposition coalition of Progressive Party of Maldives and People’s National Congress held a number of rallies across the nation to protest the so-called “selling off Maldives” to India.

In the capital, around 350 motorcyclists came out onto the streets with banners and flags, which was a major show of strength by the opposition in the small nation. The opposition demonstrations were also demanding the release of former President Abdula Yameen, who is currently in jail on money-laundering charges.

“Most of these motorcyclists were part of the gangs who had been patronised by the previous regime. So if anti-social elements are on back on the streets, increasing security of Indian assets becomes vital,” added diplomatic sources.

Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and former president Mohamed Nasheed arrive at an election campaign rally ahead of their parliamentary election on Saturday, in Male, Maldives April 4, 2019. Photo: Reuters/ Ashwa Faheem

Maldives foreign ministry sources added that the motorcycle rally was being held in “direct contravention of the guidelines put in place by the Health Protection Authority, given the community spread of COVID-19 in the capital city”.

They asserted that security measures that have been instituted “are part of a routine security exercise in the Greater Male Region”.

The trigger for the Maldivian opposition protests, as per sources, was the slew of announcements made by the Indian external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, which included funding for the largest infrastructure project in the Maldives.

During a video conference with his Maldivian counterpart, Jaishankar had announced that India would fund the Greater Malé Connectivity Project that could potentially overshadow China’s Sinamale bridge that cost over $200 million. He also added that India would give another USD 400 million line of credit, appending to the USD 800 million soft loan already being used to finance high impact projects in the Maldives.

Sources claimed the opposition was trying to corner the Ibrahim Solih government on its ties with India as New Delhi has been able to deliver on many of the projects that the president had requested after his election victory. “The opposition had assumed that the projects would get delayed and they will be able to cache onto the dissatisfaction over it”.

Highlighting the strengthened partnership with India under President Solih and his close ties with Indian PM Narendra Modi, sources in the Maldivian foreign ministry added that both countries are committee to “delivering results”. The number of development projects being undertaken with Indian financial support are progressing at excellent speed and will soon deliver their intended benefits to the people of the Maldives,” they said.

Also read: A Visual Guide to the External Affairs Ministry’s Share of the Budget 2020 Pie

With an ultra-nationalist, Islamist platform and accusing the government of “selling” to India, the opposition is hoping to see a recap of the events that led to the fall of Mohamed Nasheed-led MDP government in 2012. Nasheed’s forcible resignation had been preceded by months of anti-GMR and anti-India protests by the opposition parties, which snowballed into a mutiny by security agencies in February.

However, sources asserted that the likelihood of the opposition’s current anti-India protests being similarly successful was unlikely due to the leadership. “Solih is a very seasoned, solid person. He is not going to take any impetuous steps unlike Nasheed, who was a maverick,” they stressed.

(The article has been updated to include comments from sources in Maldivian foreign ministry)

Maldives: India Bids to Overtake China in Funding ‘High Visibility’ Infrastructure

During a meeting between foreign ministers S. Jaishankar and Abdulla Shahid on Thursday, India also extended a financial package to the archipelago nation.

New Delhi: Two years after China completed the Maldives’ biggest infrastructure project till date, India is attempting to overshadow Beijing by financing a multi-island connectivity proposal envisaged to be longer than the Sinamalé Bridge.

India’s decision to finance the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP), along with new budgetary support and an air travel bubble, was announced by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar during a meeting with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid on Thursday.

While the Maldivian government highlighted the $250 million financial package, the Indian side gave top billing to the investment in GMCP.

The Maldives China Friendship project, a 1.39-kilometre bridge linking the capital city Malé to Hulhule island, was opened in April 2018. Then Maldives president Abdulla Yameen, whose term witnessed strained ties with India and stronger alignment with China, had described the $200 million project as the “biggest achievement in our diplomatic history”.

After the opposition MDP candidate Ibrahim Solih defeated Yameen, India has been trying to leverage its friendlier disposition to expand its presence in the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelago.

‘Largest civilian infrastructure project’

Announcing the decision to support the GMCP, Jaishankar noted, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release, that it will be the “largest civilian infrastructure project in the Maldives”. The financial package will have a grant component of $100 million and a new Line of Credit of $400 million.

An electoral promise of President Solih, the project will connect Malé with three neighbouring islands through a bridge and causeway link that will be 6.7 kilometres long. “Once completed, this landmark project will streamline connectivity between the four islands, thereby boosting economic activity, generating employment and promoting holistic urban development in the Malé region,” said the Indian foreign ministry.

It is said that the Maldivian president had reportedly sought India’s aid for the project during Jaishankar’s visit to the country in September 2019.

According to government sources, the “high visibility” GMCP will render the Maldives China Friendship bridge ‘insignificant in comparison’. “It will help in demonstrating India’s overarching presence in the Maldives through a high-visibility project in the Greater Malé region and showcase India’s expertise in conceptualising and implementing a complex infrastructural project of this scale,” they said.

India had previously extended an $800 million line of credit, which is being used to implement seven projects ranging from a water supply and sewerage system to a port project.

An aerial view of the Maldives China friendship bridge. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Panda 51 CC BY SA 4.0

Extension of financial assistance

For the Maldives, the key assurance received during the meeting was the extension of financial assistance.

The Maldives foreign ministry headlined the readout of the video conference – “extends financial support of 250 million US Dollars to the Maldives”. The Indian press release stated that the “exact modalities of the loan arrangement are being finalised by the two sides”.

“Given the financial challenges faced by the Maldives due to the COVID-19 situation and India’s commitment to assist the Maldives in its economic recovery, EAM announced that the Government of India has decided to extend in-principle urgent financial assistance to the Government of Maldives, by way of a soft loan arrangement,” said the MEA press note.

Indian sources pointed out that India had earlier signed a $400 million bilateral currency swap agreement with the Maldives, out of which $150 million had already been withdrawn.

“The Government of Maldives can draw the remaining $250 million anytime till July 2021 to increase forex liquidity and exchange rate management. On the GoM’s request, the currency swap agreement has been further extended for a period of one year,” the sources said.

Tourism and travel

The restrictions on travel and lockdown have badly impacted the Maldives due to its dependence on tourism, with the government projecting a GDP contraction of 11% this year.

Last month, the Maldives opened its international airport to foreign tourists after a gap of nearly three months.

Jaishankar announced that India will create an air travel bubble with the country, with the first flight expected to commence on August 18. Until now, India has largely negotiated air travel bubbles with western countries, so this is the first in the neighbourhood.

“He (the Maldivian foreign minister) emphasised the importance of easing travel, especially for Maldivians seeking to visit India for urgently required medical treatment, as well as Indian tourists wishing to visit the Maldives,” said the Maldivian statement.

A resort island in the Maldives. Photo: Reuters

Besides, India and Maldives agreed that a direct cargo ferry service, announced during the Indian PM’s visit last year, will “commence shortly”.

“A direct cargo ferry service presents an opportunity for India to replace other countries and become the top trade partner of Maldives. In this context and with many bilateral projects slated to commence in the next few months, it is the right time to start a cargo ferry service with the Maldives,” explained government sources.

India has also offered a larger annual quota for this year of supply of essential commodities as defined by the 1981 bilateral trade agreement.

The MEA also added that President Solih is likely to visit India this year “subject to the COVID-19 related conditions”