India will seek to further strengthen military ties with Maldives during talks between visiting Maldives Defence Minister Colonel Mohammed Nazim and AK Antony on Monday.
Maldives has strategic importance for India especially after China has set up a diplomatic mission in Male thereby having the first footprint in the Indian Ocean.
New Delhi has already supplied maritime surveillance aircraft and fast patrol boats to Maldives in the last few years besides Indian Navy ships patrolling the waters off Maldives to check piracy.
India has also set up coastal radars there and the two ministers are likely to explore the possibility of having more radar stations there and the two countries had discussed this issue during Antony’s visit to Maldives last year.
The two sides then decided to raise the level of defence co-operation and Antony inaugurated a military hospital built with Indian assistance. India also decided to post a defence attaché there and train Maldivian pilots and defence personnel. At present, two Dornier surveillance aircraft stationed there are flown by Indian pilots.
Incidentally, this is the first visit by a senior Maldivian Minister to India after the recent political turbulence there, officials said on Sunday adding Nazim is also expected to meet Indian military leadership including the three Services chiefs and visit some important defence installations during the five-day visit.
Maldives is one of the important island nations of the strategically important Indian Ocean and India is taking steps to check growing Chinese influence in these waters. With growing economic and military prowess, China in the recent years has made sustained efforts to increase its naval presence in the Indian Ocean thereby posing a challenge to India.
In this backdrop, China made a beginning two years back when it opened the first diplomatic mission in Maldives and is trying to have strong economic relations with the island country. Moreover, the Maldivian defence minister visited Beijing some months back and the two countries decided to strengthen military ties.
Taking note of these developments, India has also stepped its engagement with other littoral nations like Seychelles and Mauritius located on the rim of the Indian Ocean. The Indian Navy ships are regularly making port calls to these nations and the Indian Government is supplying aircraft, helicopters and other military equipment to these countries to enhance their military capabilities.