After calling on the Maldives to withdraw Indian military personnel, it has informed India of its intention to end a bilateral agreement that allowed New Delhi to cooperate on a hydrographic survey of Maldivian territorial waters.
At a press conference in Malé on Thursday, Deputy Minister for Public Policy of the President’s Office, Mohamed Firuzul Abdul Khaleel, said that the new government of the Maldives has decided not to extend the bilateral agreement, which expires on June 7, 2024.
Firuzul said that India has been informed of Maldives’ decision not to proceed with the agreement.
There were no formal comments from the Indian side.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the field of hydrography was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Maldives in June 2019.
The MoU would “further strengthen the Maldivian government’s ability to map our coastal waters and exclusive economic zone and better exploit the resources contained therein,” according to data released by the Maldives President’s office at the time.
Even in 2019, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which was in opposition, criticized the deal.
Historically, India has done most of the hydrographic surveys of the Maldives.
At a press conference, Firuzul announced the completion of 17 meetings promised in the road map for the first four weeks of the governments.
This included starting the process of canceling “secret bilateral agreements” signed by the previous administration that pose a threat to the independence and sovereignty of the Maldives, he said.
Firuzul mentioned that the president arrived at this decision after discussions with his cabinet. He claimed that President Mohamed Muizzu has decided to allocate funds to strengthen the capacity of the Maldives National Defense Force. “In the future, hydrographic work will be carried out under 100% Maldivian leadership and only Maldivians will have input on the information,” he said.
A day after President Muizzu assumed power, he formally asked India to withdraw Indian troops deployed by helicopters and Dornier aircraft, which was part of his election campaign promise.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP summit, he also highlighted the withdrawal of the Indian Army. Both sides said they would discuss the matter.
