India–Maldives relations refer to the bilateral relations between India and Maldives. India and Maldives are neighbours sharing a maritime border. Relations have been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation. India continues to contribute to maintaining security on the island nation.

India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity and enjoy close, cordial and multi-dimensional relations. India was among the first to recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country. India established its mission at the level of CDA in 1972 and resident High Commissioner in 1980. Maldives opened a full fledged High Commission in New Delhi in November 2004, at that time one of its only four diplomatic missions worldwide.

Bilateral relations between the Republic of India and the Republic of Maldives have been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation. India contributed to maintaining security on the island nation and has forged an alliance with respect to its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean.

India and Maldives officially and amicably decided their maritime boundary in 1976, although a minor diplomatic incident occurred in 1982 when the brother of the President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom declared that the neighbouring Minicoy Island that belonged to India were a part of Maldives; Maldivies quickly and officially denied that it was laying claim to the island. India and Maldives signed a comprehensive trade agreement in 1981. Both nations are founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the South Asian Economic Union and signatories to the South Asia Free Trade Agreement. Indian and Maldivian leaders have maintained high-level contacts and consultations on regional issues.

Diplomatic relations between Maldives and India were established on 1 November 1965.

Political relations

Bilateral relations have been nurtured and strengthened by regular contacts at the highest levels. Since establishment of diplomatic relations, almost all the Prime Ministers of India visited the Maldives. Former President Gayoom made a number of visits to India. President Mohamed Nasheed’s first visit to abroad after assuming office was to India in December 2008. In October 2009, President Nasheed attended the Delhi High Level Conference on Climate Change and Technology Transfer. In 2010 President Nasheed visited India twice, first in January for the CII-Partnership Summit in Chennai and in October for attending the Opening ceremony of the 19th Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. In the current year, President Nasheed made an official visit in February 2011.

On international issues Maldives had consistently supported India in multilateral fora, such as the UN, the Commonwealth, the NAM and the SAARC. Maldives was one of the first countries to convey its support for the candidature of Shri Kamalesh Sharma as the Commonwealth Secretary General.

Maldives also co-sponsored the G-4 draft resolutions on UN reforms. India has extended support to Maldives candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for the term 2019-20.

Civil society perception of India

Maldivians generally regard Indians and India as a friend and trusted neighbour in the economic, social and political fields, although there has been a strong anti-India stance taken by some sections of the society, expressed under the ‘India Out’ campaign, which was alleged by the Indian High Commission to be “motivated, malicious, and increasingly personal”. Both nations share historical and cultural ties.

India & Maldives Projects

Wherever possible, India has been offering assistance to Maldives in its developmental process. The major projects executed by India are:

(i) Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital:

(IGMH) During former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to Male’ in 1986, it was agreed to establish a medical complex in Male’ with Indian assistance. Accordingly, the 200-bed hospital was established at an estimated cost of Rs.42.5 crores and inaugurated in April 1995. IGMH, Male now serves as the most advanced tertiary care hospital in Maldives and is easily the most visible symbol of India’s assistance to the Maldives. Though at present, the Government of Maldives is responsible for managing/running the hospital, Government of India continues to offer substantial assistance to the institution. During the visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh to Maldives in November 2011, Government of India signed an agreement to undertake major renovation of IGMH at a total cost of Rs.37.24 crores.

(ii) Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET):

Maldives Institute of Technical Education (MITE) was set up as a grant-in-aid project of Government of India in 1996. Having a capacity to train at least 200 students a year in various technical/vocational disciplines, MITE was renamed as Faculty of Engineering Technology (FET) in order to better reflect the academic programmes conducted by it, is functioning well.

Tsunami Related Assistance

Following the tsunami waves that hit Maldives on the morning of 26 December 2004, India was the first country to rush relief and aid to the Maldives. A Coast Guard Dornier aircraft arrived on the morning of 27th December followed by two Indian Air Force Avros carrying relief materials on the same day. All the aircraft stayed back to continue their relief operations in the Maldives. INS Mysore carrying relief material, facilities for a 20-bed hospital and 2 helicopters arrived on December 28. She was joined by INS Udaygiri and INS Aditya on December 29. The ships operated in the most affected Southern Atolls. The ships delivered foodstuff & medicines, treated patients in a field hospital set up by their medics, undertook repair of electricity generators & communication equipment’s and also evacuated patients in the shipborne helicopters when required. The total cost of India’s relief operations has been estimated at Rs. 36.39 crores. Government of India also sanctioned a budget support aid of Rs.10 crores to Maldives in 2005 in response to President Gayoom’s request for financial help in view of the serious financial difficulties Maldives was facing on account of the tsunami and related factors. Again in 2007, following President Gayoom’s appeal in the aftermath of tidal surges in Maldives, Government of India gave a cash assistance of Rs.10 crores.

Credit Facility

During the visit of President Nasheed to India in December 2008, Government of India extended a Standby Credit Facility of US$100 million to Maldives. Again a new Standby Credit Facility of US$ 100 million was extended to Government of Maldives during the November 2011 visit of Hon’ble Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh to Maldives. Subscription to the Dollar denominated Treasury bills Due to the severe foreign exchange crisis in Maldives last year, the Maldivian Monetary Authority (MMA) issued treasury bonds denominated in US dollars for the first time in December 2009. The entire lot of US $ 100 million was subscribed to by the State Bank of India to help Maldives recover from the shortage of the currency.

US$ 40 million Line of Credit for Housing Sector

In December 2010, Government of India announced a new Line of Credit worth US$ 40 million to the Government of Maldives for construction of 500 housing units. The LOC on a 2% concessional interest rate with a repayment period of 20 years is to be facilitated through EXIM Bank of India. An agreement on the LOC was signed between the EXIM BANK and the Government of Maldives in August 2011 and actual construction work is expected to commence shortly.

Bilateral Trade

India and Maldives signed a trade agreement in 1981, which provides for export of essential commodities. Bilateral trade is not commensurate with their potential. In 2009-10, the official figures for the bilateral trade stood at Rs.395.57 crores and heavily in favor of India. The Indian exports were worth Rs.378.49 crores and the imports little over Rs. 17 crores. However, the bilateral trade had declined substantially from the previous year due to the impact of global recession on the country’s tourism industry.

Indian imports from the Maldives primarily comprise scrap metals while Indian exports to the Maldives include agriculture and poultry produce, sugar, fruits, vegetables, spices, rice, atta, textiles, drugs and medicines, a variety of engineering and industrial products, sand and aggregate, cement for building etc.

Indian Investment

The State Bank of India has been playing a vital role in the economic development of the Maldives since February, 1974 by providing loan assistance for promotion of island resorts, export of marine products and business enterprises. Taj Group of India runs Taj Exotica Resort & Spa and Vivanta Coral Reef Resort in Maldives. In November 2010, GMR Infrastructure (India) and KLIA (Malaysia) consortium took over the Male International Airport on a 25 -year BOT contract to renovate and expand the largest and most important airport in the country. Earlier, in November 2009, Suzlon Energy of India signed an MoU to set up a 25 MW wind farm at an investment of US$40 million in the Southern Province of Maldives and Shri Educare of Delhi signed an MoU to take over the management of Ghiyassudin School, the first such initiative under the privatization policy of the Government of Maldives. In July 2010, Bommidala Infrastructure of India signed an agreement for 25-MW solar energy project in the Upper Southern province. Other proposals in the area of education, renewable energy, health and waste management are also under active consideration.

Cultural

Maldives is located south of India’s Lakshadweep Islands in the Indian Ocean. Both nations established diplomatic relations after the independence of Maldives from British rule in 1966. India was one of the first nations to recognise Maldives’ independence. Since then, India and Maldives have developed close strategic, military, economic and cultural relations. India has supported Maldives’ policy of keeping regional issues and struggles away from itself, and the latter has seen friendship with India as a source of aid as well as a counterbalance to Sri Lanka, which is in proximity to the island nation and its largest trading partner.

Both the countries share long cultural links and continuous efforts are underway to further strengthen these links. Recently three historical mosques in Maldives were successfully restored by Indian experts from NRLCCP, Lucknow (Friday Mosque, Male’, Fenfushi Mosque in South Ari Atoll and the Dharumavantha Rasgefaanu Mosque in Male’). Exchange of cultural troupes takes place regularly between the two counties. In December 2009, a Maldivian Rock Band participated in the South Asian Bands Festival in New Delhi in March 2010. A Maldivian Theatre group travelled to India under the sponsorship of ICCR to perform at the South Asian Theatre Festival, New Delhi. From July to September 2010, the High Commission of India in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture [GOM] and India Club organized the IndiaMaldives Friendship Festival [INMAFF] and the inaugural ceremony in Male’ was attended by President Nasheed and senior members of his cabinet. Bollywood star Salman Khan was the Special Guest in the ceremony. The Indian Cultural Center in Male inaugurated in July 2011 is expected to give a further boost to the cultural activities between the two countries.

Indians in the Maldives

Approximately 29,000 Indians live and work in the Maldives and almost 22,000 of them live in Malé’, the capital city. They comprise nurses, teachers, managers, doctors, engineers, accountants and other professionals. Besides them, there are skilled and unskilled personnel such as technicians, masons, tailors, plumbers, and other labourers. A sizeable proportion work in the tourism-related industries. Almost all of them hold Indian citizenship though they may get absorbed in the fabric of the local society.

People from Kerala and Tamil Nadu have historically been in close contact with the Maldives, through trade, which continues till today where Indian professional and other workers contribute to the Maldivian economy and society.

Maldivians in India

There are over 5,000 Maldivian expatriates from the Maldives who live in India.[1] It is one the largest populations of the Maldivian diaspora. They mostly travel to the nearest Indian city and capital of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, for educational and health facilities.

Maldivian students

A large number of Maldivian students study in Trivandrum, Mysuru and Bengaluru.

Mahl people

Most Mahls live in their native land of Maliku (Minicoy) in the union territory of Lakshadweep, India. In Lakshadweep the Mahls emerged as a separate ethnic group and are 15.67% of the total population of Lakshadweep. There are migrant communities of Mahls in other parts of India too. The origin of all the Mahl communities in India and elsewhere lies in the island of Minicoy. A number of Mahls have settled in the districts of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) in the southern state of Kerala. There is a community of Mahls in Kerala who came and settled there in the 17th century, when the islands of Lakshadweep came under the rule of Ali Rajahs/Arakkal Bheevi of Kannur.

Indian Community

Indians are the second largest expatriate community in the Maldives with a total strength of around 28000. The Indian expatriate community consists of doctors, nurses and technicians, teachers, construction workers, tailors, etc. spread all over the country. Of the country’s approximately 400 doctors, over 125 are Indians. Similarly around 25% of teachers in Maldives are Indians, mostly at middle and senior levels.

Bilateral treaties and strategic partnership

1976 Maritime treaty

In December 1976, India and the Maldives signed a maritime boundary treaty to agree on maritime boundaries. Treaty explicitly places Minicoy on the Indian side of the boundary. India and Maldives officially and amicably decided their maritime boundary in 1976. A minor diplomatic incident occurred in 1982 when the brother of the President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom gave a speech that India mistook as a claim that the neighboring Minicoy Island that belonged to India were a part of Maldives; Maldives rapidly officially denied that it was laying claim to the island and explained that President Maumoon’s brother had in fact been talking about the cultural connections between Maldives and Minicoy.

1988 Comprehensive trade agreement

In 1981, India and Maldives signed a comprehensive trade agreement. Both nations are founding members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the South Asian Economic Union and signatories to the South Asia Free Trade Agreement. Indian and Maldivian leaders have maintained high-level contacts and consultations on regional issues.

Commercial relations

Since the success of Operation Cactus, the relations between India and Maldives have expanded significantly. India has provided extensive economic aid and has participated in bilateral programmes for the development of infrastructure, health, telecommunications and labour resources. It established the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Malé, the capital of Maldives, expanded telecommunications and air links and increased scholarships for Maldivian students. While India’s exports to Maldives during 2006 were worth ₹384 crore, imports were worth less than ₹6 crore. The State Bank of India has contributed more than US$500 million to aid the economic expansion of Maldives. India and Maldives have announced plans to jointly work to expand fisheries and tuna processing.

Military relations

In April 2006 Indian Navy gifted a Trinkat Class Fast Attack Craft of 46 m length to Maldives National Defence Force’s Coast Guard.

India started the process to bring the island country into India’s security grid. The move comes after the moderate Islamic nation approached New Delhi earlier in 2009, over fears that one of its island resorts could be taken over by terrorists given its lack of military assets and surveillance capabilities. India has also signed an agreement which includes following:

• India will permanently base two helicopters in the country to enhance its surveillance capabilities and ability to respond swiftly to threats.
• Maldives has coastal radars on only two of its 26 atolls. India will help set up radars on all 26 for seamless coverage of approaching vessels and aircraft.
• The coastal radar chain in Maldives will be networked with the Indian coastal radar system. India has already undertaken a project to install radars along its entire coastline. The radar chains of the two countries will be interlinked and a central control room in India’s Coastal Command will get a seamless radar picture.
• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will carry out regular Dornier sorties over the island nation to look out for suspicious movements or vessels. The Southern Naval Command will overlook the inclusion of Maldives into the Indian security grid.
• Military teams from Maldives will visit the tri-services Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC) to observe how India manages security and surveillance of the critical island chain.
• Ekuverin, an annual joint military exercise is held every year since 2009 between India and Maldives. The exercise aims to enhance the interoperability between the Indian Army and Maldives National Defence Force in order to effectively undertake counter-terrorism operations in urban or semi-urban environments.

Operations and events

1988 Maldives coup d’état attempt

The 1988 Maldives coup d’état attempt was by a group of Maldivians led by businessman Abdullah Luthufi and assisted by armed mercenaries of a Tamil secessionist organisation from Sri Lanka, the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam, to overthrow the government in the island republic of Maldives. The mercenaries quickly gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airport, port, television and radio stations. The intervention by the Indian Armed Forces, codenamed Operation Cactus, defeated the attempted coup.

The Indian paratroopers immediately secured the airfield, crossed over to Malé using commandeered boats and rescued President Gayoom. The paratroopers restored control of the capital to President Gayoom’s government within hours. Some of the mercenaries fled toward Sri Lanka in a hijacked freighter. Those unable to reach the ship in time were quickly rounded up and handed over to the Maldives government. Nineteen people reportedly died in the fighting, most of them mercenaries. The dead included two hostages killed by the mercenaries. The Indian Navy frigates Godavari and Betwa intercepted the freighter off the Sri Lankan coast, and captured the mercenaries. The swift intervention by the Indian military and accurate intelligence successfully quelled the attempted coup d’état.

2014 Malé Water Shortage Crisis (MWSC)

In the wake of a drinking water crisis in Malé on 4 December 2014, following collapse of the island’s only water treatment plant, Maldives urged India for immediate help. India came to rescue by sending its heavy lift transporters like C-17 Globemaster III, Il-76 carrying bottled water. The Indian Navy also sent her ships like INS Sukanya, INS Deepak and others which can produce fresh water using their onboard desalination plants. The humanitarian relief efforts by the Indian side was widely appreciated in Malé across all sections of people, with the Vice-President of Maldives thanking the Indian ambassador for swift action.

2011–2015 Maldives political crisis

Maldives’ first democratically elected president from 2008 to 2012 Mohammed Nasheed, was arrested on 22 February 2015 on terror charges. India and US expressed concern over Nasheed’s arrest and manhandling. Indian PM Modi was to also visit Maldives in the second week of March as a part four nation visit to Indian Ocean neighbours. But, he later omitted Maldives from his tour.

2020 COVID-19 crisis

During the COVID-19 crisis of 2020, India extended help to Maldives in the form of financial, material and logistical support.

In April 2020, India provided $150 million currency swap support to help Maldives mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19.[17] Also in April, at the request of the Maldivian government, the Indian Air Force airlifted 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines and hospital consumables to Maldives, as part of ‘Operation Sanjeevani’. These supplies had been procured by Maldives’s State Trading Organisation from suppliers in India, but could not be transported due to the COVID-19 lockdown. India had also earlier despatched a medical team  with essential medicines to help Maldives fight the COVID outbreak as well as supplied essential food grains and edibles despite logistical challenges in wake of lockdown. This operation was called Operation Sanjeevani.

Civil society perception of India

Maldivians generally regard Indians and India as a friend and trusted neighbour in the economic, social and political fields, although there has been a strong anti-India stance taken by some sections of the society, expressed under the ‘India Out’ campaign, which was alleged by the Indian High Commission to be “motivated, malicious, and increasingly personal”. Both nations share historical and cultural ties.

Joint Projects in Maldives

Uthuru Thila Falhu Naval Base Harbour

India extended a $50 million Line of Credit to Maldives for defense projects, mainly for the development, support and maintenance of the harbour of the Uthuru Thila Falhu Naval Base.

Greater Malé Connectivity Project

In 2021, the Maldivian Ministry of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure signed a $500 million infrastructure project for a 6.7 km bridge & causeway link with the Indian engineering company AFCONS. The 6.74-km bridge and causeway link will connect the capital of Malé with the islands of Villingili, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi. It is being funded through a grant of $100 million and a line of credit of $400 million from India, and will boost connectivity between the four islands that account for almost half of the Maldivian population.