New Delhi:

India has targeted to train 175 civil servants from Maldives through tailor-made programmes in specific disciplines, according to an official statement issued today.

A bilateral meeting was held today between National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) Director General V Srinivas and Maldives Civil Service Commission President Mohamed Nasih to firm up the implementation modalities of the India-Maldives MoU for imparting training to the civil servants of Maldives over a period of five years 2024 -2029, it said.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed and renewed between the NCGG, government of India, and the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Republic of Maldives, for capacity building programs for 1,000 Maldivian civil servants on August 9 in Male, Maldives.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Maldives’ Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer renewed the MoU for the period 2024-2029 as part of the development partnership discussions between both nations, said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

In view of the need of the CSC Maldives, the NCGG agreed to having customised programmes for middle level civil servants and senior civil servants of Maldives, it added.

“The CSC Maldives requested for tailor made specialised programmes in specific disciplines for which NCGG will be designing need-based modules. Five (5) programmes will be held in the year 2024-25 targeting a total of 175 civil servants,” the statement said.

In 2024, the NCGG had achieved the remarkable milestone by fulfilling the mandate of training a total of 1,000 civil servants, including Permanent Secretaries, Secretary Generals and high-level delegates from Maldives over a total of 32 capacity building programmes in field administration for the civil servants of Maldives, including programmes for Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and for Information Commission Office of Maldives (ICOM) under the MoU signed on June 8, 2019.

Recognising the success of this collaboration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives, had requested for the renewal of the MoU for another five years, the statement said.

This renewed partnership will continue to enhance the capabilities of Maldives civil servants in public policy, governance and field administration, further strengthening the ties between India and the Maldives, it added.

The NCGG is committed to fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration on public policy and governance across several countries.

Its mid-career capacity building programs emphasise citizen-centric governance, improving service delivery and promoting innovations in governance. These programs also showcase India’s best practices in digital empowerment of citizens and digital transformation of institutions.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

India has targeted to train 175 civil servants from Maldives through tailor-made programmes in specific disciplines, according to an official statement issued today.

A bilateral meeting was held today between National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG) Director General V Srinivas and Maldives Civil Service Commission President Mohamed Nasih to firm up the implementation modalities of the India-Maldives MoU for imparting training to the civil servants of Maldives over a period of five years 2024 -2029, it said.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed and renewed between the NCGG, government of India, and the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Republic of Maldives, for capacity building programs for 1,000 Maldivian civil servants on August 9 in Male, Maldives.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Maldives’ Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer renewed the MoU for the period 2024-2029 as part of the development partnership discussions between both nations, said the statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.

In view of the need of the CSC Maldives, the NCGG agreed to having customised programmes for middle level civil servants and senior civil servants of Maldives, it added.

“The CSC Maldives requested for tailor made specialised programmes in specific disciplines for which NCGG will be designing need-based modules. Five (5) programmes will be held in the year 2024-25 targeting a total of 175 civil servants,” the statement said.

In 2024, the NCGG had achieved the remarkable milestone by fulfilling the mandate of training a total of 1,000 civil servants, including Permanent Secretaries, Secretary Generals and high-level delegates from Maldives over a total of 32 capacity building programmes in field administration for the civil servants of Maldives, including programmes for Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and for Information Commission Office of Maldives (ICOM) under the MoU signed on June 8, 2019.

Recognising the success of this collaboration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives, had requested for the renewal of the MoU for another five years, the statement said.

This renewed partnership will continue to enhance the capabilities of Maldives civil servants in public policy, governance and field administration, further strengthening the ties between India and the Maldives, it added.

The NCGG is committed to fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration on public policy and governance across several countries.

Its mid-career capacity building programs emphasise citizen-centric governance, improving service delivery and promoting innovations in governance. These programs also showcase India’s best practices in digital empowerment of citizens and digital transformation of institutions.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

President Mohamed Muizzu has thanked India and China for helping strengthen the Maldives’ fragile economy, highlighting the importance of the two countries in addressing the Island nation’s looming debt crisis and its future development.

China and India provide the most assistance in repaying the country’s debt, President Muizzu said on July 26 at an official function held to mark the 59th anniversary of the country’s independence.

“I thank the Chinese government and the Indian government on behalf of the Maldivian people for their cooperation with this effort to strengthen the economy, to assure our economic sovereignty, for the sake of the Maldivian people,” Mr. Muizzu was quoted as saying by Maldivian news portal adhadhu.com.

Mr. Muizzu came to power last year on an anti-India campaign plank seeking the removal of around 80 Indian military personnel operating helicopters and Dornier aircraft donated by India.

China for its part has scaled up its relations with Maldives, since Mr. Muzzu, widely regarded as a pro-Beijing leader, took over power.

Early this year, he visited China during which the two countries elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and signed 20 agreements followed by a military assistance pact with Beijing much to the disquiet of India as Maldives is its closest neighbour located strategically in the Indian Ocean.

He also permitted Chinese research vessels also regarded as “spy ships” to berth in Maldives waters after Sri Lanka banned them for a year.

However, after clinching an agreement with India to replace the military personnel flying the helicopters used to evacuate the patients from a host of islands in the archipelagic nation, Mr. Muizzu warmed up to India and attended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing ceremony.

He also praised ₹400 crore assistance by India and sought to restructure debt owed to India by Maldives.

The marked change in his policy towards India came as in May this year the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the Maldives that it faces a high risk of debt distress without significant policy changes.

The IMF noted that the Maldives’ current account deficit is expected to remain large and that its overall fiscal deficits and public debt are projected to stay elevated.

Following this, the Muizzu government sought the restructuring of loans from China. Maldives debt to China reportedly amounted to over $1.3 billion about which Beijing initially expressed reservations to restructure the debt.

Mr. Muizzu said in his July 26 meeting that China has given the green light on deferring loan repayments for five years which will be a big relief to avert Maldives falling into a similar situation faced by Sri Lanka leading to debt default.

At the height of the Sri Lankan crisis, China declined to restructure loans taken by Colombo. India stepped in to bailout Sri Lanka from the crisis with about $4 billion in assistance.

A large portion of the loans taken by the Maldives from China’s Exim Bank for development projects during former President Mr. Yameen’s government must be repaid in 2026, according to adhadhu.com report.

The Maldives will face a serious fiscal crisis if the loans are not restructured.

Technical work on restructuring the loans taken from China’s Exim Bank is ongoing, which was how President Muizzu believed that “foreign policy should be shaped to protect the country’s independence,” the report said.

Mr. Muizzu also said the implementation of a free trade agreement (FTA) signed between the Maldives and China during Mr. Yameen’s government will begin in September and expressed hope to sign a similar agreement with India as well.

Efforts are also underway to enter into FTAs with Turkiye and Britain.

The result of implementing the FTA with China would be the elimination of tariffs for a total of 7,897 items in nine sectors, including 298 fisheries products, Mr. Muizzu said.

He also said his government is working on currency swap agreements with China and India to help local businesses.

This would pave the way for alleviating the dollar shortage and assuring economic sovereignty, he said.

For its part, China continues to ramp up its aid to Maldives by strengthening its collaboration in key infrastructure and renewable energy projects that are vital for the sustainable development of the Maldives.

Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer who was in Beijing early this week held talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other officials.

During his visit, the two countries signed a Letter of Exchange on the feasibility study for the redevelopment of Male and Villimal Roads Project, a key pledge of Mr. Muizzu’s government.

The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in key infrastructure projects that are vital for the sustainable development of the Maldives, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said in a press release on July 23.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended greetings to the President of Maldives Mohamed Muizzu on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha, even as relations between the two nations have soured since the pro-China president assumed office in November last year. 

In a press release, the Indian High Commission in Maldives shared the prime minister’s Eid wishes for the president and the people of Maldives. 

“On the auspicious occasion of Eid Al-Adha, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India @NarendraModi extended warm greetings to His Excellency President of Maldives Dr. @MMuizzu, the Government & the people of the Republic of Maldives,” it said in a post on X.

On the auspicious occasion of Eid Al-Adha, Hon’ble Prime Minister of India @NarendraModi extended warm greetings to His Excellency President of Maldives Dr. @MMuizzu, the Government & the people of the Republic of Maldives .

The full PR is here: @IndianDiplomacypic.twitter.com/qG42iFwRfK

— India in Maldives (@HCIMaldives) June 16, 2024

In his message, PM Modi “emphasised the values of sacrifice, compassion and brotherhood, embodied by this festival, which are essential in building a peaceful and inclusive world.”

“Prime Minister also highlighted the celebration of the festival, as part of India’s multi-cultural heritage, across the length and breadth of India with fervour and gaiety,” the message read.

Soon after being elected, Muizzu demanded a complete withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the archipelago. Amid increasing tensions, Indian tourists had announced a boycott of the island nation after three Maldivian ministers made derogatory comments about Prime Minister Modi following his visit to Lakshadweep.

But India extended an olive branch by inviting him to the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi. Union Minister S Jaishankar also held a bilateral meeting with the Maldivian President while he was in New Delhi. “Delighted to call on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu of Maldives today in New Delhi. Look forward to India and Maldives working together closely,” he had said on ‘X’.

Male:

In a goodwill gesture, India has decided to extend vital budgetary support to the Maldives government with the rollover of a USD 50 million Treasury Bill for another year on the Maldivian government’s special request, it was announced on Monday.

The State Bank of India has subscribed for one more year to the USD 50 million Government Treasury Bill, issued by the Ministry of Finance of Maldives, upon maturity of the previous subscription, the High Commission of India said in a brief statement on Monday.

The Indian government took this decision despite the bilateral ties experiencing turbulence since Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, a pro-China leader, assumed office six months back.

These Government Treasury Bills are subscribed by SBI under government-to-government, a unique arrangement at zero cost (interest-free) to the Government of Maldives.

The continuation of subscription has been made at the special request of the Government of Maldives to secure budgetary support from the Government of India, the statement said.

The Maldivian government on Monday thanked India for its support.

“I thank EAM Dr S Jaishankar and the Government of India for extending vital budgetary support to the Maldives with the rollover of USD 50 million Treasury Bill. This is a true gesture of goodwill which signifies the longstanding friendship between Maldives and India,” Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer tweeted.

The Government of India has provided budget support of USD 50 million to the Maldives. The support was in the form of a rollover of USD 50 million Treasury Bill, for an additional year, through the State Bank of India, Male’, from May 13, 2024, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Government of India’s decision to rollover the T-Bill came following a request to that effect made by Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer to India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, during the official bilateral visit to India from May 8-10, the statement said.

The Government of Maldives is highly appreciative of the generous support that the Government of India has been providing to the Maldives in the form of budgetary support. A large number of infrastructural developmental projects and High Impact Community Developmental projects are underway with assistance from the Government of India, which consists of a notable part as grant assistance, the statement said.

The Government of Maldives looks forward to continuing this collaborative partnership for the mutual benefit and prosperity of their people, it said.

Zameer after coming back from the visit said that significant strides have been made in expediting India-assisted projects in the Maldives, as he underscored the government’s commitment to prioritising the resumption and completion of these projects.

It comes amid a downturn in the bilateral ties between the two countries since President Muizzu assumed office in November and immediately asked India to withdraw some 89 Indian military personnel from the country by May 10. The Indian military personnel were operating three aviation platforms in the island nation.

Zameer on Saturday said 76 Indian military personnel were replaced by civilian employees of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited which manufactured the two helicopters gifted by India, thus also ending the suspense over the exact number of those repatriated at the insistence of Male.

However, the Maldives government has no intention of removing the doctors from India at Senahiya.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

President-elect of the Maldives Mohamed Muizzu (right) of the People’s National Congress party attends a gathering with supporters following the country’s presidential election, in Male on October 02, 2023.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The new Maldives President-elect’s transition team hopes to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the swearing-in ceremony of Mohamed Muizzu in Male next month, says Maldives speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed.

In an interview to The Hindu, Mr. Nasheed — who has broken away from outgoing President Ibu Solih and his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to form his own party, which could join the incoming government — said that he would also send an invitation to Mr. Modi for the ceremony expected to be held on November 17. He stressed his belief that the new Maldivian President would not be “anti-India” or “pro-China”, as he has generally been portrayed in recent commentary. 

Mr. Modi had attended Mr. Solih’s swearing-in ceremony in 2018, a rare gesture that he has not made for any other leader in the neighbourhood thus far. Dr. Muizzu — the former Mayor of Male who campaigned on a “sovereignty” plank in the election — had served in the Yameen government as Minister for Housing (2013-2018), and was responsible for many of the infrastructure projects that Chinese companies won at the time, leading to the impression that he will follow the policies that had earlier strained ties with India.

Combating anti-India perceptions

“The international media has characterised our election as between India and China, and also has characterised Dr. Muizzu as pro-China. I don’t think all this was exactly true,” Mr. Nasheed said, claiming that the “India Out” campaign started by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which is part of the ruling coalition, was not the “main election issue”. Anti-incumbency was the chief reason for the MDP’s loss in the Presidential run-off poll held last Saturday, Mr. Nasheed said.

“The campaign against Indian military presence here has subsided and that really wasn’t the main campaign point… My feeling is that he will continue with our foreign policy… He would know that the relations with India go back hundreds of years, and I can’t see much changing because of a change in government,” Mr. Nasheed said, when asked to comment on Dr. Muizzu’s statement at a public rally this week that the people had voted against “foreign troops”. He indicated that the President-elect may allow approximately 75 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives to stay and help maintain and operate the helicopters and Dornier aircraft gifted by India.

Harbour project deal

Every Maldivian government, dating back to the rule of former President Abdul Gayoom, had appreciated the role of Indian security forces in the Indian Ocean, Mr. Nasheed said. He added that a rollback of the now-contentious Uthuru Thilafalhu Coastguard Harbour project, based on a deal with India signed in 2021, was unlikely.

“I can’t see why we would want to do anything to change this agreement. There’s nothing wrong with it,” said Mr. Nasheed, adding that the reason for the controversy was the previous government’s refusal to make the Uthuru Thilafahlu Project agreement for the development of a harbour to dock, maintain and repair Maldivian National Defence Forces’ coast guard vessels.

“I’m most sensitive of our security and safety and we know that terrorist organisations can come from anywhere. A few hundred people can come and really disturb the Maldives, and there’s nothing better than having closer defence cooperation with India,” Mr. Nasheed added.

Switched loyalties

While Mr. Nasheed had cordial ties with India during his tenure as Maldives President from 2008 to 2012, the relationship went sour over the past decade over the impression that New Delhi had switched its loyalties to the Solih government.

After breaking from Mr. Solih and the MDP in June this year, Mr. Nasheed launched a new party, called The Democrats. In the Presidential poll, it put up its own candidate against Mr. Solih and won about 7% of the vote. This was nearly enough, say analysts, to have helped the incumbent President win narrowly if the MDP had stayed united. When asked if he had played spoiler, Mr. Nasheed rejected the charge. 

“I have been telling everyone since 2020 that Mr. Solih would not win a re-election bid,” said Mr. Nasheed, arguing that the current Presidential election format in a multiparty system made it difficult for any incumbent to win more than 50% of the vote. The Maldivian Speaker has now been pushing for a referendum to move to a more parliamentary system, and said that he would try to make the case for that with the new President once he is sworn in.

“The people have decided and don’t want Indian troops to stay in the Maldives. Therefore, foreign soldiers cannot be here against our sentiments, against our will,’’ the President-elect said.
| Photo Credit: AFP

India looks forward to engaging the new Maldives government on “all issues”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, responding to the Maldivian President-elect Mohamed Muizzu’s statement that Indian military personnel would be asked to leave the islands.

On Wednesday evening, Indian High Commissioner to Male Munnu Mahawar met Mr. Muizzu, and handed over a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulating him on his electoral victory.

“Our High Commissioner in Male called on the President-elect, and he had a good discussion on various aspects of our bilateral relationship including development cooperation,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. 

‘India Out’ campaign

Last Saturday’s run-off election saw Mr. Muizzu, the former Mayor of Male, defeat incumbent Maldives President Ibu Solih by 19,000 votes, or an 8% margin. The results have been widely seen as an upset for India, that had close ties with the Solih administration. Speaking at a public rally after the elections, Mr. Muizzu, who stood as the candidate for the PNC-PPM coalition that had campaigned on an “India Out” plank, had said that the “sovereignty” of the Maldives was most important.

“The people have decided and don’t want Indian troops to stay in the Maldives. Therefore, foreign soldiers cannot be here against our sentiments, against our will,’’ the President-elect was quoted as saying by Maldivian news outlets on Tuesday.

“So, I have to tell the [Indian] ambassador who is going to meet me that we will have a very good relationship with these values,” he had added. 

Coast Guard project opposed

While India has had a strong military presence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) for many years, naval and airforce personnel have been stationed in the Addu and Lammu islands since 2013 in order to maintain and operate two helicopters and Dornier aircraft that India had loaned the Maldives for reconnaissance operations over the past decade. In November 2021, the Maldives National Defence Force told a Parliamentary Committee that a total of 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives.

In February 2021, the Maldivian opposition protested an MoU or draft agreement on maritime security signed by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with the Maldives Defence Minister, in order to construct a Coast Guard harbour base at the Uthuru Thilafalhu atoll. The construction was inaugurated during a visit by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in May this year, and this has been the focus of the PPM’s “India Out” protests. 

‘Close collaboration needed’

While the MEA spokesperson did not specifically respond to Mr. Muizzu’s threat to remove Indian military personnel — a move that could overturn an important component of India-Maldives strategic ties in the past few years — he said that the two countries needed to cooperate “closely”.

“The focus of our partnership with Maldives has always been on capacity building and working together to address our shared challenges and priorities. As neighbours, we need to collaborate closely to address the challenges confronting our region such as transnational crimes and Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief,” Mr. Bagchi said, adding that the government looks forward to “engaging with the new administration in Maldives on all such issues.” 

A commuter takes pictures with his mobile phone of a decorated wall along a street ahead of the country’s presidential election, in Male.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Over 2,80,000 people of the Maldives will have a say in the presidential polls on Saturday [September 9, 2023], a race that has been shaped by three presidents – the incumbent, a breakaway leader, and a jailed politician.  

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is seeking a record second term amid a host of political challenges, including a diminished party, after his former colleague Mohamed Nasheed — Parliamentary Speaker and former President — quit the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) earlier this year amid growing political differences.

Following the split that sharply divided party loyalists, Mr. Nasheed’s backers set up a new party called The Democrats, whose candidate, legislator Ilyas Labeeb, is among seven rivals challenging President Solih.  Male Mayor Mohamed Muizzu, who is running from the People’s National Congress — jailed President Abdulla Yameen was barred from contesting — has drawn considerable support, locals note.

Two other candidates drawing attention are Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim and Ahmed Faris Maumoon, son of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who ruled Maldives with an iron first for three decades until the Indian Ocean Archipelago’s shift to democracy in 2008. In a likely scenario where no candidate secures over 50 % of the mandate, a second round of elections will be held.

During his term, India-friendly President Solih has focussed on education, health and civic infrastructure, carrying out a host of projects in capital Male and the atolls, many of which are backed by grants and loans from New Delhi.

While Indian assistance in defence, infrastructure and education have grown, critics of the Solih administration question its “over-reliance” on India.  Former President Abdulla Yameen, whose regime was known for its China tilt, sought to mobilise popular support against “Indian intervention”, leading the ‘India Out’ campaign between his two court convictions.

Days before the election, government critics circulated a letter on social media claiming it was communication between the foreign ministers of India and Maldives, on India using Maldivian land for Indian military operations. Both, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maldives, and the High Commission of India in Male rejected the letter as fake and fabricated.

Key issues

While the world observes elections in the island nation for its geopolitical stakes in the region, for Maldivians, the election is more about concerns surrounding land in the congested capital, and their economic fortunes in an economy strained by debt and rapid, asymmetric development.

On the penultimate day of campaign on Thursday, Male’s streets were lit up with some characteristic late-night rallies, as bold posters of candidates pop up every few yards. “We have seen the voter turn out increase in the last three presidential elections from 86.58 % (2003), 87.20 % (2013) and 89.22 % (2018),” an official of the Election Commission said on Monday.

In addition to capital Male, polling stations have been set up in 189 atolls, apart from tourist resorts to enable the scattered population exercise their franchise in the country’s fourth presidential election since its  switch to democracy in 2008.