On Sunday, India and the Maldives announced a series of security actions aimed at stabilizing the Southern Indian Ocean Region in the face of escalating dangers of sea-borne terrorism and China’s growing presence in the region.
“India and the Maldives enjoy a deep and abiding connection,” said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is on a two-day visit to the Maldives. Today, our connection is brimming with potential and promises for our youth and future generations. It is also significant cooperation that will contribute to the Indian Ocean Region’s stability and prosperity.”
In the presence of Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Jaishankar made the statements while inaugurating the National College for Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) in Addu city, one of India’s major supported projects in the island nation.
He called the project “a true emblem of our development collaboration” and complimented the Maldives Police Service on their new training center, saying it would help to deepen the Maldives and Indian police forces’ traditions of exchanges and training.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed on the sidelines of the inaugural ceremony between the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) and the Maldives Police Force to promote the up-gradation of police infrastructure across the archipelago.
The NCPLE is a government of India apex grant program. “We expect that the NCPLE will quickly turn into an iconic institution that churns out the best brains and bodies to address the problems that every modern police force faces,” Jaishankar said, adding that India had raised the number of training places for the Maldives to eight.
He added the project to build police infrastructural facilities across the Maldives’ islands, which has received over $40 million in funding from EXIM Bank of India, has gotten the requisite permits. 61 structures, including island and atoll-level police stations, divisional headquarters, detention centers, and barracks, will be built soon under this project.
He added the project to build police infrastructural facilities across the Maldives’ islands, which has received over $40 million in funding from EXIM Bank of India, has gotten the requisite permits. 61 structures, including island and atoll-level police stations, divisional headquarters, detention centers, and barracks, will be built soon under this project.
The Maldives is one of India’s most important maritime neighbors in the Indian Ocean, and bilateral defense and security ties have improved since Solih took office in 2018. Jaishankar’s visit coincides with the local Opposition, led by former President Abdullah Yameen, launching an alleged China-backed India Out campaign.
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