Solih Arrives amid Anti-India Stir in Maldives
For Prelims
Where is Maldives?
- Maldives is an archipelago which lies in the south west of India and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean.
- Maldives is a former British colony which gained independence in the year 1965.
- It became a Republic in the year 1968.
For Mains
India – Maldives Relations
- In 1988, when armed mercenaries of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) attempted a coup against President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, India sent paratroopers and Navy vessels and restored the legitimate leadership under Operation Cactus.
- ‘Ekuverin’ is a joint military exercise conducted by India and Maldives.
- Under Mission SAGAR, India provided material assistance to Maldives during the pandemic.
- Maldivian students and patients fly here, aided by a liberal visa-free regime extended by India.
- Maldives and India are both members of a number of regional groupings such as South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC), the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and International Solar Alliance.
What are the recent concerns?
- There has been rising incidents of radicalisation among the youth and terrorist organisations such as Islamic State have increased their influence in the region.
- China has also increased their investment in the region as a part of their String of Pearls in South Asia.
- There has been a recent rise in anti-India movements such as India Out campaign in the island nation primarily fuelled by the former president Abdulla Yameen and his allies.
Source The Hindu
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