Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Didi on Wednesday jointly laid the foundation stone for MNDF Coast Guard Harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru for boosting its maritime security capabilities.

This move comes at a time when China is attempting to step up its presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) by sending more warships on deployments and also taking up projects in the region, officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Office of the Defence Minister in a tweet stated, "Security and Growth for all in the Region (SAGAR) in keeping with Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi's vision of SAGAR, Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh and Defence Minister of Maldives, Ms @MariyaDidi jointly laid the foundation stone for MNDF Ekatha harbour in Male."

In 2021, New Delhi offered the Maldives a $50 million line of credit for defence projects, along with a deal for the construction of the coast guard facility.

On the final day of Singh's three-day tour to the archipelago, the two sides released a joint statement in which they referred to the creation of the coast guard Ekatha harbour and repair facility at Sifavaru as one of India's largest grant-in-aid projects.

“The ministers agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including defence trade, capacity building and joint exercises. They also discussed the need to promote people-to-people contacts and exchanges between the armed forces of both countries,” it said.

The coast guard facility is expected to end the practice of the Maldives sending its vessels abroad for maintenance.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), which has received patrol boats and maritime surveillance aircraft from India, serves as the country's armed maritime component in the lack of a navy.

In addition to this, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh handed over a Fast Patrol Vessel and a Landing Craft Assault ship to the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF) on Tuesday. 

The Fast Patrol Vessel, capable of coastal and offshore surveillance at high speeds, was commissioned as the MNDF Coast Guard ship Huravee. Notably, Huravee was originally Indian Navy’s Trinkat-class patrol vessel which was handed over to the Maldives in 2006 after being in service for about five years. The vessel was refitted at the Visakhapatnam Naval Dockyard in 2018.

 Speaking on the occasion, Rajnath described the handing over of the two ‘Made in India’ platforms as a symbol of the shared commitment of India and the Maldives towards peace and security in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

He stated that India, through a robust defence ecosystem, has significantly enhanced its manufacturing capabilities to further support the capacity building of partner countries.

“India has emerged as a leading defence exporter in recent years. A defence manufacturing ecosystem has been created which has the advantage of abundant technical manpower. We produce world-class equipment to meet not only our own needs but also for exports,” he said.

“India offers an enhanced defence partnership to friendly foreign countries, that is accommodative of their national priorities and capacities. We wish to create symbiotic relationships where we can learn from each other, grow together and create a win-win situation for all. India’s commitment to supporting the Maldives will only get stronger with time,” Rajnath said.

Rajnath Singh recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Maldives in June 2019, wherein he emphasised that 'Neighbourhood First’ was the priority and in the neighbourhood, ‘Maldives is the priority’.

“The Indian Ocean is our shared space. The primary responsibility for peace, stability and prosperity in the region rests with those who live in the region. Peace and security of a region are best secured with the cooperation and collaboration of the regional players,” he said.

He spoke about sustainable exploitation of resources and climate change as the most important common challenges faced by the IOR and called for collaborative efforts towards ensuring the maritime expanse of the Indian Ocean.

Sustainable exploitation of maritime resources is an important means for sustained growth and development of nations across the IOR, he said.

The government of India is taking steps to ensure that the Chinese navy doesn’t muscle its way into the Indian Ocean where combat-ready Indian warships are carrying out round-the-clock surveillance for any unusual activity.

The Indian Navy is focusing on containing China's growing ambitions in the region and sending a clear message that Beijing's power play in the South China Sea cannot be mirrored in the Indian Ocean.

Image source: Twitter