India-Maldives relationship on the mend
After a period of relative drift between New Delhi and Male, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen's successful trip to India — his first foreign tour after assuming office in November 2013 — signals that ties between the two countries are now finally on the mend. Mr Yameen's four-day visit saw both countries reiterate their commitment to this longstanding bilateral, marking what is hopefully a new beginning in the New Year. From India's perspective, there were two primary issues on the agenda: Indian investments in the Maldives, especially the GMR deal, and Maldives' perceived proximity to China and its related security implications.
In both cases, Mr Yameen's response was optimistic and reassuring. In the first case, the President said that there was a possibility that the GMR case might be resolved out-of-court, and the Bangalore-based infrastructure development giant may even return to Male to finish the work it had begun at the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. At $511 million, the project was the biggest foreign direct investment in the Maldives, and its unilateral termination by the Maldivian Government, under former President Mohammed Waheed, in 2012, had caused much displeasure in New Delhi. A Tata housing project had also similarly suffered under Mr Yameen's predecessor, but the new President has promised to resolve the issue amicably. Moreover, to prevent such fiasco and secure business investments from political upheavals in the future, a Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement is being considered. In the second case of increasing Maldivian proximity to China, Mr Yameen offered an honest assessment that while Male had close ties with Beijing, his country’s relationship with India was “far more precious”. This should help allay the fears of those who had worried that with former President Mohamed Nasheed, considered to be India's closest friend in Male, losing last year’s election, Maldives would move into the ‘Chinese camp'. On the contrary, President Yameen has sought to increase security cooperation with India. It is not without significance that his visit was preceded by that of his Defence Minister who met with India's Defence Minister and the National Security Adviser. New Delhi will now be working with Maldives alongside Sri lanka to strengthen the regional maritime security framework.
From the Maldivian perspective, concerns regarding visa restrictions and import regulations were at the top of the list. Both were introduced when the relationship nosedived after the GMR debacle, and New Delhi should reconsider them. These past two years have been challenging for New Delhi and Male, with both tripping along the way; yet, given how India helped Maldives through last year's overwrought electoral process that almost threatened to derail the island nation from the democratic path shows that the partners have emerged stronger from the crisis and should be able to put this difficult phase behind them.