In a significant geopolitical shift, the Maldives, under the leadership of pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu, has inked a deal with Turkey to acquire military drones for patrolling its exclusive economic zone waters.
Previously, joint patrols of this region in the Indian Ocean were conducted by New Delhi and Male. Adhadhu, a Maldives-based news outlet, reported on Tuesday that the Maldives has entered into an agreement with a Turkish company for the procurement of these drones, allocating $37 million from the state's contingency budget to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
This development follows the Maldives' request for the withdrawal of Indian troops stationed in the country by March 15. Currently, India has approximately 88 military personnel in the Maldives responsible for operating and maintaining radar stations and surveillance aircraft, including the Dornier plane and two Dhruv helicopters gifted to Male over the past decade.
The diplomatic landscape has shifted under President Muizzu, who came to power in November 2023 with a platform advocating an 'India-out' approach. Muizzu, during his tenure, has visited both Turkey and China, with his recent five-day trip to China seen as a departure from tradition, as Maldivian leaders historically visited India before Beijing.
Relations between India and the Maldives had previously flourished during the presidencies of Mohamed Nasheed (2008-2013) and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (2018-2023). However, the equation changed during Abdulla Yameen's rule (2013-2018), marked by a pro-China stance.
In 2018, following Yameen's replacement by Solih, the Indian Navy deployed the offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Sumedha to conduct surveillance in the Maldives' exclusive economic waters, collaborating with the Maldivian military. Marine commandos of the Indian Navy also provided training on asymmetric warfare to the Maldivian military.
Tensions escalated further with derogatory remarks made by three Maldivian deputy ministers against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his visit to the Indian islands of Lakshadweep earlier in the month.
For decades, India and China have vied for influence in the Maldives, strategically located a few hundred nautical miles from Kerala. The Maldives' exclusive economic zone, covering nine lakh square kilometers, adds to its significance, as both Asian powers seek to strengthen their positions in the region.
On January 13, President Muizzu emphasized that the Maldives, despite its small size, is a significant country with a vast exclusive economic zone, asserting that the ocean in question is not the property of any specific nation. He expressed the Maldives' commitment to building its power and capacity for continuous surveillance of this extensive maritime area.
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