Australia’s announcement on 11 February 2022, to open its High Commission in Maldives is significant in many ways. Maldives Foreign Ministry hailed the decision by Australia as a ‘historic step which will help in expanding the scope of bilateral relations in the areas of climate change, human resource development, democracy, human rights, maritime security and combating transnational crime”.[1] According to Australia, the diplomatic mission will strengthen development cooperation and increase opportunities in trade, investment and connectivity in the North East Indian Ocean.[2] Australia’s decision to enhance its bilateral engagement with Maldives needs to be looked at in the larger context of increasing engagement of major powers with Maldives in recent years in the ever evolving power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific/Indian Ocean region.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1974, the scope of bilateral engagement has widened to cover human resources, people-to-people linkages, good governance and access to justice.[3] In the last decade, Australia provided nearly 357 long-term and short-term scholarships to Maldivians to study in Australia. An estimated $2.2 million Australian Official Development Assistance (ODA) was provided to Maldives in 2019-20.[4] Bilateral trade in 2018 stood at $600 million. Australia contributed $2.2 million to the World Bank project Climate Change Trust Fund in Maldives during 2013-2018. Through the programme, livelihood opportunities were provided to nearly 40,000 households. Australian Maritime Safety Authority worked on improving maritime search capabilities of Maldives Navy, a project worth $2.6 million, which also included Sri Lanka and Mauritius[5]. Nearly 39,000 tourists from Australia visited Maldives in 2019[6]. Maldives’ transition to democracy since 2008 has been closely followed by Australia and it commended Maldives government’s cooperation with the United Nations (UN) agencies and appreciated the transparent electoral process of 2018 presidential elections and high voter turnout during the election. To tackle the pandemic, Australia supported Maldives, for instance, by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
An important aspect that might have influenced Australia’s decision to open a diplomatic mission is, Maldives increasing collaboration with major powers in recent years on maritime security issues. Stable democratic polity in Maldives has widened its foreign policy scope and provided an opportunity to collaborate with regional and extra-regional powers to work on its development priorities and maritime security issues in the region[7]. The present government under Solih is willing to play a balancing role in response to ever changing geopolitics of the region, unlike the previous government led by Yameen, which encouraged China’s presence in the region. Yameen government extended support to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2014 and also concluded a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2017. Along with Maldives, Sri Lanka also extended its support to the BRI and Maritime Silk Route in 2014. This has enabled China’s increasing presence in strategic infrastructure projects in the Indian Ocean Region and rising influence of China was watched with concern by regional powers. The change of government in 2018 was particularly welcomed by the Western powers. Britain had set up its first diplomatic mission in Maldives in 2018, just after the victory of MDP, in the presidential elections. While announcing the decision the UK’s foreign office said, the diplomatic mission will enhance security cooperation, trade and investment and will also reflect on the “role of UK as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region”.[8] This statement by the UK government demonstrated its keen interest in engaging with Indian Ocean nations to strengthen maritime security. In November 2020 Japan signed a $7.6 billion agreement with Maldives, under the Economic and Social Development Programme of Government of Japan, to increase Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF)’s Coast Guard operational capability.[9] The US and Maldives also signed a Defence agreement in September 2020 to deepen security cooperation and defence partnership in the Indian Ocean.[10] India did not express any reservation to these recent developments, signalling a significant convergence of interests in the Indo-Pacific between India and the powers mentioned above.
Therefore, given the ever evolving power dynamics in the Indo-Pacific/Indian Ocean, Maldives is increasingly willing to leverage its geographical position in the Indian Ocean, considered as a highway for growing global maritime trade.[11] Maldives is located near the busiest Sea Lanes of Communication and is a link to Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is a member of Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and has been actively participating in Galle Dialogue and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, some of the formal structures that are in place to strengthen collaboration on maritime security matters including non-traditional security issues in the region. Since the Indian Ocean security is directly connected to the economic well-being of Maldives, it has become a foreign policy priority for the present government led by Mohamed Solih.[12]The present position of Maldives as the President of the United Nations General Assembly is also being utilised to highlight concerns of small island nations and the need for collaborative approach on issues of climate change, blue economy and peace and security in the oceans. Therefore, decision by Australia will facilitate greater level of diplomatic engagement between the two countries and further strengthen cooperation in the areas of mutual interests.
By announcing the decision Australia conveyed that its interest lies in stable and prosperous Indo Pacific and it understands the complex dynamics that are evolving in the region. As a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) member, Australia is seeking to expand the scope of economic and security engagement with Indian Ocean states, such as Maldives, under the framework of Indo-Pacific. The decision is also in line with Australia’s Foreign Policy White Paper released in November 2017. The Paper outlines power shift in the Indo-Pacific region and mentions that the future balance of power in the region will largely depend on the actions of major powers such as the United States, China, India and Japan other than the response of Indonesia and Vietnam.[13] The White Paper also recognises the rise of China as a major investor and trading partner in the region but emphasised that stability and interests of smaller countries should be respected.[14] In this context, the decision is important as Australia recognises Maldives critical strategic position in the region and believes that a new diplomatic mission in the strategically located Indian Ocean island nation will help to build stable, secure and resilient Indo-Pacific.[15]
Looking at the above developments, one can say that Maldives would benefit from engagement with Australia to enhance its maritime domain awareness capabilities and to work on common concerns such as combating transnational crime, terrorist networks and on issues of cyber security. The growing synergy of interests in the Indian Ocean/ Indo-Pacific region between India and other powers mentioned above will also make it possible for Maldives to work on its development priorities and contribute towards peace and security of the region.
*****
*Dr. Samatha Mallempati, Research Fellow, Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.
Endnotes
[1] Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Maldives, “Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the Establishment of an Australian High Commission in the Maldives”, 11 February 2022, https://www.gov.mv/en/news-and-communications/statement-by-the-minister-of-foreign-affairs-on-the-establishment-of-an-australian-high-commission-in-the-maldives. Accessed on February 28, 2022
[2]Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australia, “High Commission in Maldives”, Media release, 11 February 2022, ttps://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/high-commission-maldives. Accessed on March 1, 2022.
[3]Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, “ Maldives: Development Cooperation fact Sheet May 2021”, https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/development-cooperation-fact-sheet-maldives.pdf. Accessed on March 2, 2022.
[4]Ibid
[5]Australian Government, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, “Maldives Country Brief”, https://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/maldives/maldives-country-brief. Accessed on March 2, 2022.
[6] Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Maldives, Tourism Year Book 2021 https://www.tourism.gov.mv/en/statistics/annual. Accessed on March 2, 2022.
[7]Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Maldives, “Statement by H E Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives at the India Today Conclave – South”, 13 March 2021, https://www.gov.mv/en/news-and-communications/statement-by-h-e-abdulla-shahid-minister-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-maldives-at-the-india-today-conclave-south. Accessed on March 1, 2022.
[8]Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK, “Foreign Secretary announces new UK Embassy in Maldives”, 4th December 2018, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-announces-new-uk-embassy-in-maldives. Accessed on March 3, 2022.
[9]Fathmath Shaahunaz, “Japan to grant USD 7.6 million to Maldives’ Coast Guard”, 22 November 2020, https://edition.mv/coast_guard/20514. Accessed on March 3, 2022.
[10]The US Department of Defence, “The Maldives and U.S. Sign Defense Agreement”, 11 September 2020, https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2344512/the-maldives-and-us-sign-defense-agreement/. Accessed on February 28, 2022.
[11]Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Maldives, “Statement by H E Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives at the India Today Conclave – South”, 13 March 2021, https://www.gov.mv/en/news-and-communications/statement-by-h-e-abdulla-shahid-minister-of-foreign-affairs-of-the-maldives-at-the-india-today-conclave-south. Accessed on March 4, 2022.
[12]The President’s Office, Republic of Maldives, “Remarks by His Excellency Faisal Naseem, Vice President of the Republic of Maldives at the 5th Indian Ocean Conference”, 4 December 2021, https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/25903. Accessed on February 26, 2022.
[13] Australian Government, 2017 Foreign Policy White paper: Opportunity, Security and Strength”, https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/2017-foreign-policy-white-paper.pdf, P.25, Accessed on March 1, 2022.
[14]Ibid
[15]Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australia, “High Commission in Maldives”, Media release, 11 February 2022, ttps://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/high-commission-maldives. Accessed on March 1, 2022.