NEW DELHI: Three Indian naval vessels arrived in Malé on Wednesday, coinciding with the signing of separate defence cooperation and maritime security agreements between the Maldives and Pakistan in Islamabad.
The Indian Navy said on Thursday that its First Training Squadron (1TS), comprising INS Tir, INS Sujata and Indian Coast Guard Ship Sarathi, had arrived in Malé on Wednesday as part of a Long Range Training Deployment. The ships received a “warm welcome” from the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), it said.
Based in Kochi, the squadron trains officer cadets at sea in seamanship, navigation and watchkeeping. Its overseas deployments also facilitate professional exchanges with foreign maritime forces, combining practical training with naval diplomacy.
During the Malé visit, the squadron’s Senior Officer called on the MNDF Chief of Defence Force and the Commandant of the MNDF Coast Guard. Discussions focused on “sustained engagement and multifaceted maritime collaboration”, the Navy said.
The Navy said the visit “reaffirms enhanced interoperability” in line with India’s MAHASAGAR vision.
The port call comes as Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu began a state visit to Pakistan on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Muizzu and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the exchange of 20 memoranda of understanding (MoU), including separate agreements on defence cooperation and maritime security.
The two governments also agreed to raise bilateral trade from $13.4 million to $200 million over two years, according to Pakistan’s official statement.
The Maldives’ strategic location astride key Indian Ocean shipping routes makes it an important partner in India’s maritime security calculus. New Delhi has built defence ties with the archipelago through military training, equipment support, coastal surveillance and joint maritime activities. More than 1,500 Maldivian military personnel have been trained in India over the past decade, according to the Indian High Commission.
Relations nosedived after Muizzu came to power in 2023 on an ‘India Out’ platform and pressed for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel. By May 2024, the personnel operating Indian-provided aviation platforms had been replaced by civilian technical staff.
The withdrawal, however, did not sever defence ties. New Delhi has continued to engage Male through military training, capability-building and maritime cooperation, while using economic assistance and high-level diplomacy to repair relations.
During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit in July last year, India extended a $565 million line of credit and announced measures to ease the Maldives’ debt burden.
Muizzu has simultaneously pursued closer ties with Beijing. During his January 2024 visit to China, the two countries elevated their relationship to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and signed agreements to expand bilateral cooperation.