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Maldives ends pact with India on water survey
Context
The newly formed Maldives government has decided not to renew the previous government’s agreement with India on a hydrographic survey of the island nation’s waters.
About
Water survey agreement
- The agreement, signed in 2019 when the Indian Prime Minister visited the Maldives at the invitation of then President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, allowed India to conduct a hydrographic survey of the Maldivian territorial waters, study and chart reefs, lagoons, coastlines, ocean currents and tide levels.
- According to the terms of this agreement, if one party wishes to drop the agreement, the other party must be informed of the decision six months before the agreement is set to expire.
- According to the terms, the agreement automatically renews for an additional five years.
Why the agreement has been terminated
- The new government been taking hostile stance against Indian initiatives in the island nation. Last month too, asked India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives.
- India provides two helicopters and an aircraft to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) for emergency medical evacuations and disaster relief operations.
- The official statement says that the step has been taken in the interest of national security to develop their own capacity to conduct such surveys, and protect such sensitive information arising from such surveys.
Geo-strategic location and importance of Maldives
- Maldives is one of the world’s most geographically dispersed countries straddling a 960-km-long submarine ridge running north to south and which forms a wall in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
- Its strategic location defines the geo-strategic importance of Maldives far beyond its physical size. The Indian Ocean is recognized as a primary global trade and energy route, with Maldives positioned as a pivotal toll gate.
- It serves as a crucial point for two significant sea lanes of communication (SLOCs).
- These SLOCs are vital for facilitating maritime trade between the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Hormuz in West Asia and the Strait of Malacca in Southeast Asia.
- The strategic importance of these SLOCs near Maldives extends beyond regional significance, holding critical value for global maritime trade.
- Particularly for India, these westward SLOCs in the Arabian Sea are of immense importance, as nearly 50% of India's external trade and 80% of its energy imports rely on them.
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