thestringshredder
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NEW DELHI: India has assured Maldives that it is committed to further enhancing the defence cooperation and security partnership, ranging from exercises and capacity building of its armed forces, with the 1,190-island archipelago where China is making steady strategic inroads.
This came at the meeting between defence minister A K Antony and his visiting Maldivian counterpart Mohammed Nazim here on Monday. "It was decided to take measures to step up cooperation in the ongoing areas of training, exercises, infrastructure-strengthening and capacity-building," said an officer.
"Both sides also agreed that there is a need for India and Maldives to continue to work together to tackle security concerns in the interests of peace and stability in the region," he added.
India is helping Maldives to set up a network of ground radars on all its 26 atolls as well as bolstering cooperation in the fields of military training, hydrography, maritime patrol and surveillance.
With Maldives still locked in a political tussle, China is trying to expand its footprint in the strategically-located country in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) after establishing a fully fledged embassy there. Over the last decade, China has steadily forged maritime links with eastern Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia, among others.
India, on its part, has tried to counter these strategic moves in the IOR by stepping up its own defence engagement with the countries concerned. Ever since Antony's visit to Male in August 2009, for instance, Indian warships and Dornier reconnaissance aircraft have been regularly helping Maldives in maritime patrol and surveillance.
Link - India, Maldives to step up defence cooperation - The Times of India
This came at the meeting between defence minister A K Antony and his visiting Maldivian counterpart Mohammed Nazim here on Monday. "It was decided to take measures to step up cooperation in the ongoing areas of training, exercises, infrastructure-strengthening and capacity-building," said an officer.
"Both sides also agreed that there is a need for India and Maldives to continue to work together to tackle security concerns in the interests of peace and stability in the region," he added.
India is helping Maldives to set up a network of ground radars on all its 26 atolls as well as bolstering cooperation in the fields of military training, hydrography, maritime patrol and surveillance.
With Maldives still locked in a political tussle, China is trying to expand its footprint in the strategically-located country in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) after establishing a fully fledged embassy there. Over the last decade, China has steadily forged maritime links with eastern Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia, among others.
India, on its part, has tried to counter these strategic moves in the IOR by stepping up its own defence engagement with the countries concerned. Ever since Antony's visit to Male in August 2009, for instance, Indian warships and Dornier reconnaissance aircraft have been regularly helping Maldives in maritime patrol and surveillance.
Link - India, Maldives to step up defence cooperation - The Times of India
