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Transcript of Special Briefing by Foreign Secretary on the State visit of President of Maldives to India (October 07, 2024)

India - Ministry of External Affairs

October 07, 2024

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this Special Briefing on the ongoing State visit of President of Maldives. We have with us, for this Special Briefing, Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri. We are also joined on the dais by our High Commissioner to Maldives, Shri Munu Mahawar; and our Additional Secretary who looks after Indian Ocean Region in the Ministry of External Affairs, Shri Puneet Agrawal. With that, I invite Foreign Secretary Sir to make his opening remarks. Sir, over to you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you, Randhir. Good evening to all of you. Thank you for being here for this Briefing on the ongoing State visit of the President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to India. You would have followed some of the coverage of the visit already, the media statements made by the Prime Minister and the President. I understand that the Vision Document that has been released on the occasion of this visit by the two sides, 'A Vision for Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership between India and Maldives', has also been made available and you might have had an opportunity to see that. Let me just take you through the elements of the visit and also the main takeaways as we see it from this particular visit.

So, the President of Maldives, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is here on a five-day State visit which began yesterday. They arrived yesterday in the late afternoon. He is accompanied by the First Lady, by a very large number of Cabinet Ministers and a business delegation. In addition to the President's official engagements in Delhi, the delegation will also be visiting Mumbai tomorrow. They will also visit Agra before that and the visit will conclude in Bengaluru the day after tomorrow.

Yesterday, the External Affairs Minister, Dr. Jaishankar called on President Muizzu. This morning, the President was accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan by the Honorable President, the Prime Minister and other distinguished delegates. This was followed by the President's visit to Rajghat to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi. Earlier today, the President and the Prime Minister held extensive discussions both in the restricted and in delegation level formats. And the Prime Minister also, in a special gesture, hosted a banquet lunch in honor of President Muizzu. Just a short while ago, the Honorable Vice President and the Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri J.P. Nadda have called on President Muizzu. And later today, the President will have a meeting with Honorable Rashtrapati Ji, who will also host a State banquet in honor of the President.

Now, as you all know, this is the first bilateral visit of President Muizzu to India. He had visited India previously in June to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the Council of Ministers. And he and the Prime Minister, this is their third meeting because in addition to the meeting in June, they had met last year in Dubai in December 2023 on the margins of COP28.

A few words about how we see the relationship and its place in India's overall policy framework. Maldives has always been a key part, an integral part of India's 'Neighborhood First' policy and our vision for 'SAGAR', Security And Growth for All in the Region. The relationship is historic. It's been underpinned by very close people-to-people relations, by trade and economic relations and by a very, very substantive developmental partnership between the two countries. India has always also, very importantly, been the first responder to any crisis in Maldives, whether it be the attempted coup in 1988, the tsunami in 2004, the Male water crisis in 2014 or indeed the COVID-19 pandemic a few years ago.

We have contributed to the development of Maldives through a mix of small and large development projects, an extensive suite of capacity building and training initiatives, and also from time to time provided significant financial assistance to enable Maldives to tide over economic challenges, based on the requests and the priorities of Maldives. For instance, earlier this year, the State Bank of India rolled over two Treasury Bills subscribed by them that had been issued by the Government of Maldives worth $100 million. As two neighbors in a very important maritime neighborhood, the two countries are also working together to address challenges related to maritime terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, IUU fishing and a host of other issues.

This current visit aims at building on this strong and extensive foundation of relations and charting out new frontiers for engagement. There are a number of challenges that the region and the world are facing today and in this context, it becomes important to redefine and renew partnerships with our neighbors to jointly overcome these new challenges.

And it is in this context that I would attract your attention to the document that's been issued, 'A Vision for a Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership' which has detailed sections on political exchanges, development cooperation, trade and economic cooperation, digital and financial cooperation, energy cooperation, health cooperation, defence and security cooperation, capacity building and training and people to people linkages, besides cooperation at the regional and multilateral fora. This is a blueprint for relations that has been charted out for the next several years and provides a framework for the ongoing visit. The document also aims to bring together the objectives for India's own development as have been set out under the Viksit Bharat 2047 plan and Maldives' own action plan and objectives to become a developed country by 2040.

Let me also quickly mention some of the major announcements and initiatives that have been taken during the ongoing visit. You may have followed the announcements related to these. Besides the Vision Document, during the visit, we have announced a Currency Swap Agreement which was signed between the two sides. This will provide a swap facility in two elements, and these two elements are a $400 million facility and a separate INR 30 billion facility to Maldives. The Rupay card was launched on the occasion and the two leaders happened to witness the first live Rupay transaction during the meeting earlier today.

There was a virtual handing over of the new runway of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport project which has been developed with a concessional line of credit funding from India. And under the housing development projects which are underway in Male, 700 housing units out of a total of 4,000 which are currently being built in Maldives with Exim funding were also handed over. We have also made an announcement whereby India will undertake the repairs and refit of the Maldives Coast Guard ship Huravee which is a patrol vessel that had been gifted to Maldives by the Government of India a few years ago. The refit will be carried out on gratis basis and add to the capabilities of the Maldives National Defence Force.

In addition, we have signed and renewed a few Memoranda of Understanding. The Rashtriya Raksha University and the National College for Police and Law Enforcement have established cooperation in academic and professional education, training and research. The Maldives Anti-Corruption Commission and the Central Bureau of Investigation of India have inked an MoU on cooperation on preventing and combating corruption. The National Judicial Academy of India and the Judicial Services Commission of Maldives have renewed an existing MoU relating to training 200 Maldivian officers in India. And the two Ministries of Youth and Sports have renewed an MoU on cooperation in the field of youth and sports.

Overall, I would say that the engagements and outcomes during this visit will enable the India-Maldives relationship to scale new heights in the coming years and make it more fit for purpose to handle the challenges that we see emerging in this region in the coming years. President Muizzu expressed his gratitude for the very warm welcome that he and his delegation have received here. He extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Maldives on a State visit next year. The Prime Minister accepted the invitation and the dates for the visit will be worked out through diplomatic channels.

Let me stop there and if you have a few questions, I would be happy to take them.

Yeshi: This is Yeshi Seli from The New Indian Express. Can you please elaborate on this Currency Swap Agreement that you had with Maldives side to the tune of 3,000 crores? Can you help us understand what it will entail because Maldives is facing a currency crunch right now, so how this will be done? And also this document that you shared is a Vision Document, so the relationship hasn't really graduated to a Comprehensive Strategic Economic and Maritime Partnership, is that correct?

Ajay: Good evening Foreign Secretary, I am Ajay Banerjee with The Tribune. Sir, there is a long list of the defence corporation which you have mentioned or the MEA has mentioned. Sir, do we assume that we are back to the pre-November 2023 era with the Maldives in terms of defence, in terms of manpower, in terms of training, in terms of EEZ patrolling?

Sudhi: Sudhi Ranjan from Bloomberg, sir. Sir, I wanted to understand Maldives may need further assistance for bond repayment in the coming days. Did the two leaders discuss about it? What is India's stand? Will it, like Sri Lanka, bail out Maldives in the coming days, if it were to come to it?

Ayushi: Sir, this is Ayushi Agarwal from ANI. Sir, how much was China discussed between the two leaders, like the Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean region and the vessels that made port calls earlier this year?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Okay. Well, insofar as the Currency Swap Agreement is concerned, as I said, this is an agreement that has two elements to it. There is the element to allow Maldives to avail a $400 million window and a separate INR 30 billion window under this. The idea is essentially to bolster Maldives' foreign exchange reserves, that they have access to these reserves. It generates confidence in the Maldives' existing foreign exchange position and allows them to enter into deals or discussions where they require this enhanced foreign exchange that they can draw on. So, on the whole, the idea is to send out a signal of comfort and confidence in the existing foreign exchange position for Maldives. And that is what has been done at the present. The agreement has been signed and exchanged today.

As to the Vision Document, I think if you see the Vision Document, it clearly talks about developing a Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership. There are a number of elements in this that will need to be worked upon, as we go into the future. But I think this itself signifies the ambition that is there for the relationship in the coming years. I think nomenclature apart, there is a lot of substance in the relationship that gives us confidence, and that also actually responds to one of the later questions, that gives us confidence that we are going to be able to engage in a very substantive way on all aspects of the relationship with the Maldives. With regard to defence cooperation and whether we are back, I think that with the exception of one issue which has been discussed and debated earlier, there are no issues with regard to cooperation between India and Maldives. Today, in fact, during the discussions, the defence and security relationship came up significantly and substantively in the discussions between the two leaders. Both of them emphasized the importance and the significance of the defence and security partnership between the two countries, and how it was the intention of both sides to reinforce this relationship and take it forward. So there is very little doubt, if any, in our mind that we will continue to work with the Maldives in a very close manner as we did previously in responding to the defence and security challenges that face us.

And to Sudhi's question of further assistance, look, I have detailed already the assistance that has been provided as we responded to the emerging situation late last year and early this year. Twice, I think in May and in September, the State Bank of India rolled over the $50 million in T-Bills that they had subscribed to. Today, we have done the Currency Swap Agreement. There are a number of other points and requests that have been made. These have only just been brought to our notice. So we will need to study these as we go forward and see what the situation is in the coming weeks and months, as we work together with our colleagues in the Maldives in responding to these.

On Ayushi's question, look, without going into the specifics, I would say that today's discussion was largely focused on the bilateral relationship and the expanse that is there in our bilateral relationship, the development partnership, the people-to-people linkages, the economic and trade relationship, you would have seen from the Vision Document as well and the remarks of the two leaders that it has been decided to begin discussions on a Free Trade Agreement. So, a lot of the discussions today, I would say the bulk of them were focused on the bilateral relationship. Yes, there were some regional issues that were discussed as well, but I would say that focus really was on discussing bilateral relations today.

Manish: Manish Chand, India Writes Network. Foreign Secretary, the document that has emerged from this meeting, very comprehensive document, so can we conclude that this is like a complete reset; as in the end of the bad days of India-Maldives relations, which we witnessed in the initial phase of the Muizzu government, that anti-India posture and rhetoric is over, was there some assurance regarding this? And the second question, very briefly, as the Bangladesh Chief Adviser, as you know, has been pitching for revival of SAARC. Does Maldives have any view? Does this issue figure at all in the discussion?

Sidhant: Hi sir, Sidhant from WION. Sir, anything on the FTA negotiations? When these negotiations will start? Also on the opening up of India's Consulate in Addu, when it can happen, because this is something that we have been hearing for a pretty long time as well.

Rishikesh: Hi sir, Rishikesh from the Press Trust of India. So, both the countries have agreed to strengthen the defence cooperation. So, can we see a return of Indian military personnel to the Maldivian land as well?

Parul: Good evening, Foreign Secretary. I'm Parul Chandra. I'm an independent journalist. I'd like to know what, if any, specific commitments has India got from the Maldives on protecting India's strategic interests. And was there any discussion on the defence pact that the Maldives has signed with China? Did we raise it? Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Okay. So, to Manish's question on where we are in the relationship, look, I'll only say that, I mean, it's a very high profile visit that is happening and therefore, you may be framing or posing your questions in a sense which sort of tries to give the sense that, or rather you are not taking the history of the relationship into account. This is a very age-old relationship, a historic relationship and it has a number of very substantive pillars, as I said already, trade, economic, developmental, people-to-people linkages, defence and security also being a part of this. So, our attempt in this visit is actually to try and reinforce this already strong relationship that is there, and build on the numerous mutual shared concerns and shared interests that are there. India is one of the largest trade and development partners of the Maldives, a very significant defence and security partner of the Maldives. We are making progress on several development projects in the Maldives and today there was recognition by both leaders of the importance of this relationship, especially in view of the geographical proximity that exists between the two countries and the many ways in which the relationship is mutually beneficial. So, I think we are continuing the relationship that is already strong and that has been on a positive trajectory now as well and that is how we intend to move. And again, I would invite your attention to the Vision Document that has been issued, that really in a sense sets the footprint, the blueprint rather, for the relationship going forward.

You had a question related to Bangladesh?

Manish: Bangladesh's Chief Adviser has been pitching for revival of SAARC. What is Maldives' view? Was it discussed at all?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: No, that did not come up in the discussions today that I would have anything to say on that.

Sidhant, on the FTA, well, we have basically an agreement in principle during this visit that we will commence discussions on the FTA and it is our intention to do so as soon as possible. The two teams will now get in touch with each other and take that forward. Insofar as an Indian Consulate is concerned, again, I invite your attention to the Vision Document which talks about the intention to set up this Consulate; and indeed between the two leaders as well, this was a subject that both of them touched on, on the desirability of establishing this Consulate. And again, since this requires a fair amount of work on the ground, our teams will get in touch with each other and we will take this work forward.

On the question of defence cooperation and the return, look, the whole framework of defence cooperation is in a context where there are specific requirements and where there are specific needs and the two sides have a long enough history and tradition of engagement with each other to be able to sit down and decide what are the requirements. We have always responded to the needs and the requirements and the priorities of the Maldives as projected by them, and that I would imagine would be the principle going forward into the future as well on defence and security as on any other aspect or pillar of our bilateral cooperation.

To Parul's question on protection of India's strategic interests, look, I will only say this, I mean, I also point you in the direction of the remarks and the statements that have been made by His Excellency President Dr. Muizzu himself in just the last few days where he has addressed this issue; but in the discussions today as well, it was recognized on both sides that the two sides inhabit the same strategic landscape and that the challenges that this landscape encounters are shared challenges, whether it be terrorism, whether it be piracy, drug trafficking, IUU fishing, there is a commitment to working together to combat these challenges. The very fact that Maldives just a few weeks ago joined as a founding member of the Colombo Security Conclave during the signing of the foundational documents in Colombo is, I think, indication of the interests that Maldives also has in combating security challenges in this area.

And on your last part about defence pacts with other countries, as I said, not a part of the discussion primarily today.

Rishab: Foreign Secretary, good evening, Rishabh from Times Now. Sir, as you mentioned that India will be refitting one of the Coast Guard ships that India has already gifted to Maldives. The platforms that India had gifted to Maldives had been in news and the military personnel deployed on that had led to high-level discussions, including many where our High Commissioner was also part of. So, I would like to understand, when we say refitting and repairing, are we going to send our people to Maldives to again repair the ship or is it coming to India? Is there a time frame discussed for the repairing as well?

Bramh Prakash: Foreign Secretary, main Bramh Prakash hu News India se. Mera sawal bhi Bharatiya sainiko ki wapasi wale mudde par hi hai ki abhi ki isthiti kya hai, kya aaj discussion me ye mudda aaya hai, kya wapis jo Bharatiya sainik kuch laute the wo wapas waha jayenge? Isko le kar kya isthiti hai? Thank you.

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Foreign Secretary, I am Bramh Prakash from News India. My question is regarding the return of Indian soldiers. What is the current situation? Has this issue been discussed today? Will the Indian soldiers who had returned go back? What is the situation regarding this? Thank you.

Padma: Good evening Foreign Secretary. I am Padma Rao Sundarji. I am an independent foreign correspondent. I have two questions. One is that has the Maldives expressed any interest, like Sri Lanka did recently, to join any of the regional groupings other than the known ones like BRICS and SAARC? I am sorry, like BRICS, for instance, or any other groupings that loosely fit within the parameters of Indo-Pacific. And the second question would be, some years ago when Mohamed Nasheed was the President of the Maldives, there was a lot of talk and some urgency attached to the concept of the Maldives going underwater in 50 years. So, is there any environmental, ecological protection also envisaged under your future cooperation? Thank you.

Ileana: Good afternoon. This is Ileana, TASS News Agency. My question is a bit similar to the one which my colleague just asked. Did you discuss, or during this visit or durung your Mission in Male, the membership of Maldives in BRICS as India is one of the prominent founding members of BRICS and my country is now presiding in BRICS. That's why it's very important, very interesting for me to know. And if so, on what level are these discussions? If not, is India interested in membership of Maldives, in joining Maldives to BRICS? Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: So, let me take this last question first because it was, I think, Padma, you also wanted to know about this. On BRICS, no, I don't think there is any proposal before us of Maldives joining the BRICS. As far as I am aware, there has been no interest conveyed to us or expressed to us. I am not sure if it has been conveyed to the Chair at this point in time. But I am not aware of any request made by the Maldives to join BRICS.

But in so far as the question of regional groupings is concerned, as I mentioned a few minutes earlier as well, Maldives has joined the Colombo Security Conclave, which is again in a sense an Indo-Pacific grouping. And this is something that has been under discussion for the last few years. And the Colombo Security Conclave already undertakes a large number of activities under the identified pillars of maritime security and safety, HADR, cyber crime and cyber security, terrorism, drug trafficking, etc., police cooperation in some of these areas as well; and that cooperation at the operational level between the organizations of the respective countries has been going on and now we are very glad that they joined in as a founding member when it came to signing of the Charter and the Memorandum of Understanding on setting up a Secretariat for the CSC in Colombo.

Ileana: Is India interested in Maldives joining BRICS.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Look, that I don't think is relevant because I think the country has to be interested in joining. We cannot drag a country to come and become part of a particular organization.

Let me take the other part of the question that you had asked, Padma, about the issues related to the ecology and oceans and really the climate challenge that Maldives as a Small Island Developing State faces. Climate change was indeed a subject on the agenda today and the Prime Minister pointed to how island nations such as the Maldives have been raising their voice for some time on this as a key challenge. He also referred to a few projects that India has undertaken in the Maldives to try and address the water and sewage related challenges in various islands in the Maldives. In fact, a few weeks ago when the Foreign Minister visited Maldives, as many as 28 of these projects were inaugurated on 28 different islands. The President of the Maldives also referred in some detail to the challenges of climate change. He referred to the steps that Maldives was taking with regard to mitigation and adaptation and welcomed the support that India was extending to the efforts of Maldives in this area. He also referred to the unique difficulties that Small Island Developing States face in this area. As I recall, he mentioned that the Maldives would like to initiate a roof-based solar energy project of the kind that we have seen in several places in India, and he wanted to see if some discussion could be initiated in that regard, and he also invited Indian investment in renewable energy projects in the Maldives.

So all in all, it is a significant subject in the discussions between the two countries and I suspect it will remain so in the time going ahead. We also have a section on energy cooperation in the Vision Document where we have, for instance, undertaken to conduct a feasibility study to identify measures that would enable Maldives to participate in the 'One Sun, One World, One Grid' initiative. So a subject that is quite close to the heart of both leaders, as you can see.

Rishabh your question on refitting of the MCGS Huravee. My understanding is, subject to correction, that the platform will be brought to India and refitted in India and then returned to the Maldives. So I don't think the question of personnel, etc., is involved in this.

But as to your larger question aur Bramh Prakash apka bhi jo prashn tha isko le kar. Dekhiye ye jo mudda utha tha isko kuch samay ab ho gaya hai ki is mudde ka hal dhund liya gaya hai. Aur dono desho ne ise badi baariki se aur badi sanjidagi se isko dekha, parkha aur iska ek jo... the solution to this issue was found, this issue was addressed. And it was acknowledged on both sides that the issue has been addressed satisfactorily. And in fact, jo ye humare platforms hain, aviation ke platforms hain, inki jo activities hain wo waha par chalu ho gai hain. Aur jo ab waha pe technical personnel hai, wo ye kaam anzaam de rahe hain waha pe.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] But as to your larger question, and Bramh Prakash, regarding your question, look, this issue that was raised has been resolved some time ago. Both countries have carefully and sensibly examined and assessed this issue, and the solution to this issue was found, this issue was addressed. And it was acknowledged on both sides that the issue has been addressed satisfactorily. And in fact, the activities of our aviation platforms have resumed there, and the technical personnel present are now carrying out these activities there.

So I don't think we now need to go back to that earlier... we are not in that earlier situation. And again, I would point you in the direction of President Muizzu's own remarks where he has also referred to the resolution of this issue; and again I would say that consistent dialogue... and recognize the efforts of the High Commissioner who is present with us here who was part of the high level core group that was set up to address and resolve this issue to the satisfaction of both sides.

Santosh: Sir namaskar, main Santosh Thakur, Navbharat Akhbaar se. Sir ye Maldives ke sath duriya thi, itni nazdikiya ban gai, iska ittefaq kya, how you turned around the relationship? Thank you.

[Question in Hindi: Approximate translation] Hello sir. I am Santosh Thakur from Navbharat Newspaper. Sir, there was a distance with the Maldives, but now the relationship has become so close. What is this coincidence? How did you turn around the relationship? Thank you.

Mukesh: Sir, Mukesh Kaushik from Dainik Bhaskar. Sir, can you tell us more about this agreement between the CBI and Maldivian counterpart, in what way our CBI is going to impart their expertise of anti-corruption to their Maldivian counterpart? And secondly, are we agreeing to Hydrography agreement which we were having with Maldives, we are going to renew it or not?

Keshav: Sir, good evening, Foreign Secretary Keshav from The Print. My first question is similar, were there any discussions in terms of the Hydrography agreement, the renewal or any discussions around that? The second question, very short, we've sort of [inaudible] Maldives' foreign exchange reserves in the span of about four, four and a half months to one and a half months as per the Moody's report. So in that sense, when you mention new points, are we looking at some sort of long-term financial credit facility? Is there some of those discussions that we're looking forward, going forward in the next four months? Thank you.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Santosh, duriya, nazdikiya, ittefaq - mujhe nhi lagta ki aap aur filmo ke naam ek prashn me daal sakte the ek saath! To mere vichar se main apne jawab me... chaliye main ye keh deta hu ki yarana jaari rahega.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate translation] Santosh, distance, closeness, coincidence - I don't think you could have included more movie titles in a single question! So in my response, let me just say that the friendship will continue.

On the question related to the MoU between CBI and its counterpart, look, this is an MoU that envisages cooperation on preventing and combating corruption and increasing international cooperation as per Article 48 of the UN Convention Against Corruption which is a multilateral agreement. We have similar agreements with a number of other countries as well. And it is intended to have this as not just something on exchange of experiences but also capabilities and capacity building.

On the questions related to Hydrography, there was a lot of discussion today on the need for Maldives to continue to build its own capacities in this particular field. And the President of Maldives flagged the point that Maldives looked forward to assistance in this capacity building and I imagine those discussions will continue.

On the point related to the reserves situation of Maldives and the assistance that they may require, as I said, there are a number of proposals that were made today. We have not had the time to do due diligence on these proposals, so it would not be proper for me to comment on these proposals, except to say that we have taken note of the proposals and we will now be studying those and be in touch with our Maldives' colleagues in the coming weeks and months to see what further action is required.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Thank you. With that, we come to the closure of this Special Briefing. Thank you very much for your participation.