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.
