New Delhi: New Delhi and Male signed pacts to boost cooperation on Monday, with the president of the Maldives calling India its “closest friend” despite years of influence by Beijing in the archipelago nation.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived in the Indian capital on Sunday, his first foreign visit since assuming office last month.
Solih defeated strongman Abdulla Yameen, who cultivated close with India’s rival China.
India and the Maldives signed four pacts, including those on cultural cooperation, information technology and electronics cooperation.
New Delhi also extended a credit line to the Maldives worth $1.4 billion following talks between Solih and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“President Solih and I agree that to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region, we need to deepen our cooperation,” Modi said on Monday during a press briefing alongside Solih.
“The security interests of the two countries are linked with each other… We will not allow the use of our countries to harm each other,” Modi added.
“India is not only our closest friend, it is also one of our largest trading partners,” Solih told a business forum in New Delhi on Sunday.
As the main regional power in South Asia, India enjoyed traditionally close ties with the Maldives for decades. In recent years, ties became strained as Yameen aligned his country closer to China while obtaining financial support for development projects.
With Solih in power, the Maldives is expected to return to India’s sphere of influence.
Earlier on Monday, Solih received a ceremonial welcome in New Delhi during which Modi greeted him with a hug. The Maldives’ leader is due to visit Taj Mahal on Tuesday before returning to his country.
“India is our closest neighbour and our people are bound by ties of friendship and cultural affinity,” Solih told reporters.
“Within those close links, trade and commerce have flourished. India is not only our closest friend, it’s also one of our largest trading partners,” Solih said.
The package of financial assistance is in the form of budgetary support, currency swap agreements and credit lines, Modi said, after what he called “successful talks” to build upon the two countries’ “deep-rooted” friendship.
“We want greater trade ties with Maldives. There are increasing opportunities for Indian companies in the island nation. This is beneficial for both the countries,” Modi said.
“Our security interests are interlinked. We will not allow our countries to be used for harmful activities against each other,” he said.
Solih, 54, unexpectedly beat his predecessor Abdulla Yameen to the presidency of the Indian Ocean archipelago and upmarket honeymoon destination in elections in September.
Besides being accused by critics of corruption and muzzling the media, Yameen was seen as close to China, borrowing from Beijing for infrastructure projects including a new bridge and an airport expansion.
China has also loaned billions to other countries around the Indian Ocean and beyond, stoking fears of a debt trap and riling both India — which has traditionally held sway in the region — and the United States.
Solih’s party has called for a review of the projects bankrolled by China in the strategically placed Indian Ocean country.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed, has accused China of a land grab and condemned a free-trade agreement signed by Beijing and Yameen as one-sided. — Agencies
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
