A Message To China In IOR Via The Himalayas: Maldives Joins India For A Military Exercise Near LAC In Uttarakhand

In a message to China, Indian and Maldivian military has commenced the 12th edition of bilateral joint military exercise 'Ekuverin' on 11 June at Chaubatia, in Uttarakhand, along the Line-of Actual Control (LAC).

The two-week long exercise will see participation of a platoon strength contingent from both the Indian Army and Maldivian National Defence Force.

The exercise Ekuverin, meaning 'friend', will continue till 24 June in which both the forces will train in various realistic counter insurgency and counter terrorism (CI/CT) scenarios.

According to the statement released by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD), the exercise "will focus on sharing best practices, enhancing coordination and cooperation between both the forces at tactical level".

The exercise is coming in the backdrop of Chinese trying to increase its presence and influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) using its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and investment in the littoral nations.

India has had a long-standing relationship with the Maldives, and has traditionally been considered the regional power in South Asia.

The Abdullah Yameen government, who came in power in 2013, had a pro-China tilt. He welcomed shady Chinese investment which strained ties with India.

At one point, there were reports that India was considering the possibility of a military intervention to remove Yameen from power if Yameen continued to crackdown on Maldives opposition.

After the 2018, Maldives faced a political crisis with President Abdulla Yameen refusing to accept the results of the presidential election. India, along with other countries, called for the respect of democratic processes, and the new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was supported by India, assumed office in November 2018.

The new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has sought to maintain good ties with India.

India's diplomatic efforts helped to prevent Maldives from completely falling into China's sphere of influence, and allowed India to retain its traditional role as the dominant regional power. 

India, in fact, has now become the largest investor in the Maldivian infrastructure domain. Earlier, in January EAM S Jaishankar inaugrated Hanimaadhoo international airport project, as well.

The $136.6 million development of the Hanimadhoo airport is being executed by Indian company JMC Projects Ltd, financed through a line of credit from India's Exim Bank.

The exercise is being conducted in accordance with the UN mandate, focusing on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief (HADR), and counter insurgency/counter terrorism (CI/CT) operations.

The last edition of the exercise was held in December 2021 in Maldives.

"The defence cooperation between the two countries extends from joint exercises to assisting Maldives with defence training and equipment requirements," the MoD statement added.

The statement further said, "Both the nations have very close and friendly relations in economic, cultural and military cooperation. ‘Ex Ekuverin’ will assist in further bolstering of these ties between the two nations".