Male:

India is supporting 65 community development projects worth USD 23 million in the Maldives and steady progress has been achieved in implementing them, the Indian mission said on Thursday.

Of the 47 High Impact Community Development Projects in Maldives under grant aid by the Government of India approved till November 2023, as many as eight are already completed.

Notwithstanding the diplomatic row in recent times, India is supporting 65 community development projects worth MVR 360 million (USD 23 million) in the archipelagic nation, the High Commission of India said.

“While the grant is being provided by the Indian government, the projects are selected in order of priority as set by the Maldivian government. Implementation of these projects are also undertaken by institutions appointed by the Maldives government,” news portal Edition.mv said.

“Happy to note steady progress of Greater Male Connectivity Project, being implemented with Indian grant and concessional credit @USD 500 million. GMCP is a transformational infrastructure project which will stimulate economic growth and improve ease of living in Maldives.” The Indian High Commission posted on its official X handle on Wednesday.

The post on X came after Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the High Commission of India in Maldives held a two-day meeting to review the ongoing projects when it was discussed that even as eight projects are completed, the rest of the High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) remain at different levels of progress.

These include a wide variety of projects spread throughout the atolls. Some initiatives included are the establishment of fish processing plants, drug detoxification centres, cultural centres, youth centres and sports complexes, Edition.mv reported.

Ambassador at Large Ahmed Naseer and High Commissioner of India to Maldives Munu Mahawar co-chaired the meeting, which saw the participation of senior government officials and other stakeholders.

The Memorandum of Understanding for this Indian Grant Assistance on implementation of these High Impact Community Development Projects through local institutions was initially signed between India and Maldives on March 17, 2019, it said, adding, “At the time, the MoU outlined a grant totalling USD 5.5 million (MVR 85 million).” In 2021, this MoU was renewed, increasing the grant to (USD 10 million) MVR 155 million; in January 2023, yet another MoU for grant assistance was signed, this time with a USD 6.5 million (MVR 100 million) increment, bringing the HICDPs grant from India to Maldives to a total of USD 16.5 million (MVR 255 million).

Additionally, there are also cash grant projects worth over USD 7 million (MVR 107 million), for multiple projects, it added.

India-Maldives relations started going south when within hours of his oath-taking in November 2023, President Mohamed Muizzu demanded India to withdraw its military personnel manning three aviation platforms from his country. The last of the military personnel were repatriated earlier this month and replaced by civilian personnel from India.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Male:

The Maldives military still does not have pilots capable of operating three aircraft donated by India, Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon has acknowledged, days after 76 Indian defence personnel left the island nation at the instance of Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu.

Ghassan Maumoon made the remarks at a press conference held at the President’s Office here on Saturday to brief the media about the withdrawal of Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives to operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft and their replacement with civilians from India.

Responding to a question from a journalist, Ghassan Maumoon said there were no Maldivian soldiers with the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) who can operate the three aircraft donated by the Indian military despite some soldiers who began training to fly them under agreements formed by previous governments.

“As it was a training that required passing various stages, our soldiers had not reached completion due to various reasons. Therefore, there aren’t any people in our force at the moment who are licensed or fully operational to fly the two helicopters and Dornier aircraft,” Ghassan Maumoon was quoted as saying by Adhadhu.com news portal.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain after Muizzu, a pro-China leader, insisted on the withdrawal of all Indian military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the island nation by May 10. India has already withdrawn 76 military personnel.

However, the Maldives government has no intention of removing the doctors from India at Senahiya military hospital, a Maldivian media report said.

Contrary to Ghassan Maumoon ‘s remarks, when the current administration’s senior officials were in the opposition during the past five years, they criticised the previous government and claimed that there were capable pilots in the MNDF, the Adhadhu.com report noted.

Training Maldivians was the main reason for the arrival of Indian soldiers with the helicopters donated during former presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Abdulla Yameen’s governments and the Dornier aircraft brought during former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s government, it said.

Despite the failure to complete the training to date, Foreign Minister Zameer said Saturday that the agreement to replace the Indian soldiers with civilians also included provisions for training local pilots.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mohamed Saeed, Maldives’ Minister of Economic Development and Trade, met with Munu Mahawar, Indian High Commissioner to the archipelago nation.
| Photo Credit: X/@MoEDmv

India on May 1 said it looked forward to strengthening bilateral economic cooperation with the Maldives as its envoy held discussions with a senior minister of the archipelagic nation.

Mohamed Saeed, Maldives’ Minister of Economic Development and Trade, met with Munu Mahawar, Indian High Commissioner to the archipelago nation on Tuesday.

The meeting comes weeks after India allowed the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25 at the request of the Maldivian government and ahead of the May 10 deadline imposed by President Mohamed Muizzu for the complete repatriation of 88 Indian military personnel from his country.

OPINION | Stability in Maldives: On the election results and India ties 

“Minister @em_saeed met with Indian High Commissioner to Maldives, H. E. Munu Mahawar, and discussed potential areas for trade & economic cooperation. @HCIMaldives,” posted Maldives’ Ministry of Economic Development and Trade from its official X handle along with photos of the meeting.

Soon after, the Indian High Commission responded: “We look forward to continued engagements with @MoEDmv for further enhancing India-Maldives economic cooperation.”

Earlier on April 5, displaying a strong commitment to supporting the human-centric development in the archipelagic nation, India said the request to allow export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25 was being done “under a unique bilateral mechanism” under which the quotas for each of these items have been revised upwards.

There was also an increase of 5 per cent in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour and dal (pulses) and the approved quantities were the highest since this arrangement came into effect in 1981.

The 1981 India and Maldives trade agreement provides for the export of essential commodities. According to the records from the Indian High Commission, growing from modest beginnings, India-Maldives bilateral trade crossed the $300 million mark for the first time in 2021, which further crossed the $500 million mark in 2022.

“India emerged as Maldives’ 2nd largest trade partner in 2022 and the largest in 2023. Indian imports from the Maldives primarily comprise scrap metals while Indian exports to the Maldives include a variety of engineering and industrial products like drugs and pharmaceuticals, radar apparatus, rock boulders, aggregates, cement and agricultural produce such as rice, spices, fruits, vegetables and poultry produce etc,” it said.

The April 5 announcement also said that the quota for river sand and stone aggregates, crucial items for the booming construction industry in the Maldives, has been increased by 25% to 10,00,000 MT each.

Two persons sustained injuries during an altercation between a group of Maldivians and Indians, after which a Maldivian was detained, according to a media report on Tuesday.

The fight between the two groups took place near Central Park in Hulhumale, about 7 km northeast of Male, at around 9:00 pm on Monday, news portal Adhadhu.com reported.

The detained suspect is a Maldivian, the news portal quoted the police as saying but it did not mention who the injured were.

The two people who sustained serious injuries were taken to Hulhumale Hospital. They were later released after treatment.

Police said the clashes broke out between a group of Maldivians and Indians inside the park and that further investigations were underway.

Beijing:

China said on Monday it would seek to strengthen ties with the Maldives, after pro-Beijing President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won control of parliament in an election landslide. “China is willing to work with the Maldives to maintain traditional friendship (and) expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields,” foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said.

Beijing, he said, aimed to “continuously deepen the China-Maldives comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” as well as “accelerate construction of a community with a shared future for China and the Maldives, and better benefit the two peoples.”

“We congratulate the Maldives on successfully holding its parliamentary election and fully respect the choice made by the Maldivian people,” Wang said.

Provisional results from the Elections Commission of Maldives show Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) had secured more than two-thirds in the 93-member parliament.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India has allowed limited exports of essential commodities, including sugar, wheat, rice, and onions, to the Maldives, the government said on Friday, even as ties between Male and New Delhi remained tense amid rising Chinese influence.

India, a leading exporter of rice, sugar and onions, has imposed various curbs on exports of these food commodities to keep a lid on local prices ahead of the general election.

Shipments of these commodities in the 2024/25 financial year which started on April 1 to Maldives “will be exempted from any existing or future restriction/prohibition on export,” the government said in a notification.

The South Asian country has allowed exports of 124,218 metric tons of rice, 109,162 tons of wheat flour, 64,494 tons of sugar, 21,513 metric tons of potatoes, 35,749 tons of onions, and 427.5 million eggs to the Maldives.

India has also allowed exports of 1 million tons each of stone aggregate and river sand.

The Maldives, which has traditionally had close ties to India, is pivoting towards Beijing since new President Mohamed Muizzu was elected in October on a promise to end the country’s pro-India stance.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The first batch of Indian personnel in the Maldives has been replaced by technical personnel, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Friday.

“The turnaround of the first team of personnel who were operating the ALH helicopter has been completed. So, the first batch that had to be replaced has been completed. The turnaround has happened,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly briefing.

Notably, the Mohamed Muizzu-led Maldives government has formally requested that India withdraw its troops from Male.

The External Affairs Ministry earlier informed that both India and the Maldives have agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives.

Last month, the MEA said that the first batch of Indian technical personnel reached Maldives to replace the defence personnel.

India and the Maldives have held two high-level core group meetings and the third one is expected to take place soon.

The removal of Indian troops from the country was the main election campaign of Muizzu’s party. Currently, there are around 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, stationed in the Maldives.

Recently, Muizzu again said that “no Indian military personnel” will remain in the country after May 10, “be it in uniform or civilian clothing,” Maldives-based The Edition reported.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar affirmed his belief that the row with the Maldives will be resolved through diplomacy.

He highlighted that Indian military personnel and aviation platforms in the Maldives have been solely working for the benefit of local people and said that sometimes misunderstandings take place between two nations.

“Humanity is humanity. Diplomacy is diplomacy, and politics is politics. The whole world doesn’t always run with obligation…so if we have encountered such a situation, the solution will come through diplomacy only,” Jaishankar said at an event.

“We have to make people understand, sometimes people don’t even have complete knowledge of things, sometimes people get misguided on what others say,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday expressed concerns over the repercussions of India’s recent boycott call, particularly in the realm of tourism. Mr Nasheed, currently in India, also issued an apology on behalf of the Maldivian people.

The diplomatic strain between India and the Maldives, simmering for a while, hit another low as President Mohamed Muizzu, perceived as pro-China, announced plans to expel all Indian military personnel from the country by March 10. This move raised tensions and prompted a boycott call from India, impacting various sectors, notably tourism, a crucial component of the Maldivian economy.

“It has impacted the Maldives a lot, and I am actually here in India. I’m very worried about this. I want to say the people of the Maldives are sorry, we are sorry that this has happened. We want Indian people to come on their holidays to the Maldives, and there will not be any change in our hospitality,” Mr Nasheed said as quoted by news agency ANI. 

Mr Nasheed acknowledged India’s historically responsible approach in dealing with such matters, stating that instead of exerting pressure, India proposed a diplomatic discussion.

“When the president of the Maldives wanted Indian military personnel to leave, you know what India did? They did not twist their arms. They did not display muscle, but just simply told the government of Maldives, ‘Okay, let’s have a discussion on that’,” he said. 

On the recent defence agreement between Maldives and China, Mr Nasheed dismissed it as not being a defence pact but rather an acquisition of equipment. 

“I think that Muizzu wanted to buy some equipment, mainly rubber bullets and tear gas. It is very unfortunate that the government thought that there is a need for more tear gas and more rubber bullets. Governance is not through the barrel of the gun,” he said. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently stated that misunderstandings can arise between nations and expressed optimism in resolving the dispute through diplomatic means.

“Humanity is humanity. Diplomacy is diplomacy, and politics is politics. The whole world doesn’t always run with obligation…so if we have encountered such a situation, the solution will come through diplomacy only,” Mr Jaishankar said.

“We have to make people understand, sometimes people don’t even have complete knowledge of things, sometimes people get misguided on what others say,” he added.

Earlier, the Maldives announced that it would not extend the agreement that permitted India to conduct hydrographic surveys in collaboration with the Maldives.

President Muizzu broke from the established tradition by opting not to visit India on his first official trip, instead choosing to visit Turkey and then China.

New Delhi:

Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday expressed concerns over the repercussions of India’s recent boycott call, particularly in the realm of tourism. Mr Nasheed, currently in India, also issued an apology on behalf of the Maldivian people.

The diplomatic strain between India and the Maldives, simmering for a while, hit another low as President Mohamed Muizzu, perceived as pro-China, announced plans to expel all Indian military personnel from the country by March 10. This move raised tensions and prompted a boycott call from India, impacting various sectors, notably tourism, a crucial component of the Maldivian economy.

“It has impacted the Maldives a lot, and I am actually here in India. I’m very worried about this. I want to say the people of the Maldives are sorry, we are sorry that this has happened. We want Indian people to come on their holidays to the Maldives, and there will not be any change in our hospitality,” Mr Nasheed said as quoted by news agency ANI. 

Mr Nasheed acknowledged India’s historically responsible approach in dealing with such matters, stating that instead of exerting pressure, India proposed a diplomatic discussion.

“When the president of the Maldives wanted Indian military personnel to leave, you know what India did? They did not twist their arms. They did not display muscle, but just simply told the government of Maldives, ‘Okay, let’s have a discussion on that’,” he said. 

On the recent defence agreement between Maldives and China, Mr Nasheed dismissed it as not being a defence pact but rather an acquisition of equipment. 

“I think that Muizzu wanted to buy some equipment, mainly rubber bullets and tear gas. It is very unfortunate that the government thought that there is a need for more tear gas and more rubber bullets. Governance is not through the barrel of the gun,” he said. 

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar recently stated that misunderstandings can arise between nations and expressed optimism in resolving the dispute through diplomatic means.

“Humanity is humanity. Diplomacy is diplomacy, and politics is politics. The whole world doesn’t always run with obligation…so if we have encountered such a situation, the solution will come through diplomacy only,” Mr Jaishankar said.

“We have to make people understand, sometimes people don’t even have complete knowledge of things, sometimes people get misguided on what others say,” he added.

Earlier, the Maldives announced that it would not extend the agreement that permitted India to conduct hydrographic surveys in collaboration with the Maldives.

President Muizzu broke from the established tradition by opting not to visit India on his first official trip, instead choosing to visit Turkey and then China.