Rajnath Singh visits Maldives; holds talks on defence cooperation

Union Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh reached Maldivian Capital Male on May 1, 2023, on the invitation of his Maldivian Counterpart Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
During his visit, Rajnath Singh and Mariya Didi held bilateral talks to enhance defence cooperation and strengthen the longstanding partnership between India and Maldives.

They discussed a wide range of regional and global security issues of mutual concern and agreed to deepen their cooperation in the defence and security domains.
Both Ministers reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security in the region and recognised the need to work together to address common security challenges.

They underscored the importance of respecting international law and rules-based international order and expressed their commitment to upholding these principles.
The Ministers welcomed the progress made in ongoing defence cooperation between the two neighbours, including joint exercises and exchanges of visits by military officials.
They also noted the importance of sharing best practices and expertise in areas such as counter-terrorism, disaster management, cyber security and maritime security.

India and Maldives agreed to explore additional avenues for cooperation, including in the areas of defence trade, capacity building and joint exercises. They also discussed the need to promote people-to-people contacts and exchanges between the armed forces of both countries.