Subrahmanyam Jayasankar, India’s foreign minister, is heading to the neighboring Maldives on Friday for his first visit since Male drove out dozens of Indian soldiers and moved to get closer to China.
The Indian Ocean archipelago is an integral aspect of New Delhi’s marine security and “neighbourhood first” policy, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
The atoll nation, which is well-known for its luxurious vacation spots with immaculate white beaches and exclusive resorts, has grown to prominence in the Indian Ocean as a geopolitical hotspot.
India is wary of China’s expanding influence in the Indian Ocean, which includes the Maldives, which in March inked a military aid agreement with Beijing, and Sri Lanka.
This arrangement was made in response to pro-Beijing President Mohamed Muizzu’s order for a garrison of Indian soldiers to withdraw from the posh vacation spot where they had been stationed to help with marine patrols.
The nation’s chain of 1,192 small coral islands stretches around 800 kilometers (500 miles) across the equator and is traversed by global east-west shipping routes.
For a long time, the Maldives, a nation of about 500,000 people, has been seen as part of India’s territory.
Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-China president of the Maldives, traveled to New Delhi in June to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inauguration.
“Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour and an important partner in India’s ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy,” said the ministry of foreign affairs.
The two-day visit by Jaishankar was described as being “aimed at strengthening the close partnership.”
The foundation of Muizzu’s electoral victories has been an ongoing struggle against India’s excessive political and economic influence in the Maldives.
There is a history of New Delhi’s involvement in Maldives affairs, including the sending of soldiers there to put down a coup attempt in 1988.
Its impact has occasionally served as a cause of animosity in the country, which is mainly Muslim.
