India and Maldives denoted a significant stage in their developing protection collaboration on Wednesday by sending off the development of a harbour for the Coast Gatekeeper of the Maldives Public Safeguard Power (MNDF).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh

At Sifavaru in the Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) atoll, where India is assisting in the construction of a naval dockyard, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his Maldivian counterpart, Mariya Didi, laid the foundation stone for the Coast Guard’s “Ekatha Harbour.”

One of the largest Indian grant-in-aid projects in the Maldives is the UTF Harbour Project, as it is known.
Rajnath Singh was in the Maldives for three days, which ended on Wednesday. In the Maldives, the UTF project, which was announced during the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in February 2021, has been at the centre of a political debate.

An opposition leader in the country, Abdulla Yameen, supported the “India Out” campaign, which included allegations that the project was a cover for the presence of Indian military forces in the Indian Ocean nation. Last April, Maldives President Ibrahim Solih prohibited enemies of India from fighting as a danger to public safety.
But the rumours haven’t stopped; campaigners against India say that Indian troops were stationed on a fast patrol boat that India gave to the Maldives Coast Guard recently. On Tuesday, the ship was given the name CGS Huravee in the presence of President Solih, Didi, and Singh. It was given in place of an earlier ship with the same name that India had given a few years ago. During President Solih’s most recent trip to India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement regarding the replacement present.

Didi attempted to dispel rumours that the ship was occupied by Indian troops during the ceremony of commissioning. As per a report on Maldivian news site Avas, Didi said that an Indian group was available on the boat while it was moored in Male for just preparation purposes, yet it would have just Maldivian faculty from now. ” Major Ahmed Zaeem will become the vessel’s first commanding officer with today’s commissioning. Maldivian soldiers will make up the entire crew of the vessel, she stated.

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Rajnath Singh meets Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid

Singh met Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid and paid Solih a friendly visit during the visit. They shared the sentiment that they looked forward to continuing the dialogue and cooperation in the future and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the partnership between their countries. The visit recharged the feeling of responsibility of the two accommodating neighbours to upgrade the security and flourishing of their individual nations and the locale,” the assertion added.