Maldives US ambassador said his country occupies a very strategic position and is aware of its responsibilities in maintaining a “free, peaceful and stable Indian Ocean” and considers all the big powers in the Indo-Pacific as important partners. 

Speaking after a Washington visit by Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer this week, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed said the island nation considers regional stability vital. 

“We deal with other countries in a sincere way and therefore we expect other countries to be dealing with the Maldives sincerely... I don’t think there are any hidden agendas in this at all,” he said. “We would not do anything that would harm or create problems in the region... because as a small country very much reliant on tourism, peace and stability, not only in the Indian Ocean, but also globally, is important to us.” 

Speaking about its ties with India, China and the US, he replied, “We consider all of them are partners... all these countries are of importance to us and they help us.” 

Zameer’s Washington visit came two months after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won a landslide in parliamentary elections. Muizzu has pivoted ties towards China and away from India, a key US regional partner in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Ghafoor said he was not privy to details of defense agreements the Maldives has signed with China, but they should not be a cause of concern to others, Reuters reported. 

In May, India said it had replaced 80 soldiers on the Maldives with civilians after a demand by Muizzu as part of his ‘India out’ campaign. 

Ghafoor said relations with India are “quite good” and improving, with a visit expected by India’s external relations minister soon.

$93 million and counting

India has stepped up development assistance to the Maldives with projects gaining pace last year, even as ties have soured over new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's demand for Indian troops to leave his country.

New Delhi has spent nearly $93 million on projects in the Maldives during this fiscal year, which ends in March, according to official documents. 

Despite the roadblock, "development co-operation has not changed or stopped," said an Indian official aware of the matter, who added that New Delhi had a two-fold engagement strategy for Male.

The efforts include a $500-million project for roads and bridges around Male, and two airports worth nearly $130 million each in the archipelago's distant islands, supported through a line of credit from India.

Indian budget documents presented to parliament on Feburary 1 show that New Delhi spent Rs 183 crore in fiscal 2022-23, which went up to Rs 771 crore this year, a figure that is second only to neighbouring Bhutan. India has set aside Rs 600 crore in initial allocation for the Maldivian projects next year.

But Male's closer engagement with Beijing saw it recently allow a Chinese research vessel to dock at its port, despite New Delhi's concerns that information gathered by such ships can be used by China's military for deployment in India's backyard.