New Delhi: After calling for withdrawal of Indian military personnel, the Maldives has conveyed to India its intention to terminate a bilateral agreement that permitted New Delhi to collaborate in hydrographic survey of Maldivian territorial waters.
At a press conference in Malé on Thursday, Undersecretary for Public Policy at the President’s Office, Mohamed Firuzul Abdul Khaleel, said the new Maldives government had decided against renewing the bilateral agreement which expires on June 7, 2024.
“According to the terms of this agreement, if one party wishes to drop the agreement, the other party must be informed of the decision six months before the agreement is set to expire. According to the terms, the agreement automatically renews for an additional five years, otherwise,” he said, as quoted in Maldivian news outlet Sun.
Firuzul conveyed that India has been notified of the Maldives’ decision not to proceed with the agreement.
There has been no formal comment from the Indian side.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of hydrography was established during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Maldives in June 2019.
As per the readout issued by Maldives Presidents’ office at that time, the MoU would “further strengthen the capability of the Maldivian government to map out our coastal waters and Exclusive Economic Zone, and better utilise the resources contained therein”.
Even in 2019, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which had been in opposition, had criticised the agreement.
Historically, India had conducted most of the hydrographic surveys of the Maldives.
At the press conference, Firuzul was announcing the accomplishment of 17 talks promised in the roadmap for the first four weeks of the governments.
This included the start of the process to nullify “secret bilateral agreements” signed by the previous administration, which pose a threat to the independence and sovereignty of the Maldives, he said.
Firuzul mentioned that the president reached this decision following talks with his cabinet. He claimed that President Mohamed Muizzu has opted to allocate funds to enhance the capacity of the Maldives National Defense Force. “In the future, hydrography works will be carried out under 100% Maldivian management, and with only Maldivians privy to the information,” he said.
A day after President Muizzu took over, he formally asked India to withdraw Indian troops stationed with helicopters and a Dornier plane, which was part of his election campaign promise.
He had also raised the withdrawal of the Indian military during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the sidelines of the COP summit. Both sides had said that they were going to hold discussions on the matter.