UPSC Articles
India-Maldives Defence Relation
Part of: Prelims and GS-II -International Relations and GS-III Defence and security
Context: India’s Defence Secretary recently visited the Maldives, for discussions with the Maldives National Defence Force as part of the second Defence Cooperation Dialogue.
About Defence Cooperation Dialogue
- The Defence Cooperation Dialogue is one of India’s policy-level frameworks.
- It aims to strengthen long-standing and mutually beneficial bilateral defence ties.
- The first Defence Cooperation Dialogue was held in July 2016 during the presidency of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and the second DCD was held in January 2019.
- The location of the Maldives, at the intersection of commercial sea-lanes running through the Indian Ocean, makes it strategically important for India, particularly in the light of China’s growing aggression in the region.
India-Maldives defence relations
- Since 1988, defence and security have been major areas of cooperation between India and Maldives.
- This cooperation extends to assisting the Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements.
- India provides the largest number of training opportunities for Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF), meeting around 70% of their defence training requirements.
- In 2016, the two countries also signed a comprehensive action plan to consolidate defence partnership.
News Source: IE
