As part of its policy to further bolster military ties with Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries and counter Chinese strategic moves in the region, India is stepping up the defence engagement with Maldives as well as Mauritius.
Defence minister A K Antony held talks with his counterpart from Maldives, Ameen Faisal, on Tuesday about the various steps which can be taken to boost defence cooperation between the two countries.
Almost simultaneously, a delegation from Mauritius held talks with an Indian Navy team to ascertain Mauritius' hydrographic requirements for 2009 as well assistance in setting up the requisite infrastructure there. "The delegation later left for Dehradun to hold talks with chief hydrographer Rear Admiral B R Rao there," said an official.
India has given military aid to both Maldives and Mauritius over the years since it sees itself as a major stakeholder in the security and stability of the IOR region.
In April 2006, for instance, then defence minister Pranab Mukherjee had visited Male to "transfer" INS Tillanchang, a 260-tonne fast-attack craft designed for fast and covert operations against smugglers, gun-runners and terrorists, to Maldives.
The military package also included Rs 6 crore for training, material and technical assistance. Moreover, an Indian Navy survey ship, INS Darshak, conducted a hydrographic survey in the waters around Maldives.
The Rajiv Gandhi government in November 1988 had rushed paratroopers and naval warships to Maldives under Operation Cactus to thwart the coup attempt against the then Abdul Gayoom government. More recently, it had deployed two ships and four aircraft to Maldives after the killer tsunami struck in end-2004.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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