India's gift not up to Maldives' standards; asks to take back after two years of use
The second helicopter was gifted in April 2016
An individual requiring medical care being transferred via helicopter
Relations between Maldives and neighboring India seem to get worse day by day, with Maldivian authorities have asked the Indian government to take back one of the naval helicopters it had gifted.
‘The Times of India’ on Wednesday reported that “the real issue” is still being discussed between both parties, but cited a senior Maldivian government official saying that they ‘wanted a Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft instead of the Dhruv Advance Light Helicopter (ALH) gifted by India’.
The second helicopter was gifted in April 2016, and operates from the southernmost Addu City; the other one is in Kahdhoo island of Laamu atoll.
The Maldives’ decision comes not too long after Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s three-day visit to the country. During the visit, the general met with senior government officials, including President Abdulla Yameen and defence minister Adam Shareef.
In his meeting with minister Shareef, both parties had discussed the possibility of joint patrolling the Maldives’ exclusive economic zone, which the Indian media deemed as a ‘redline’ for India.
“Diplomatic sources indicated that India will certainly seek to verify the extent of the discussion on joint patrolling of Maldivian territory,” reported India’s The Wire on Monday, adding that if true, “would certainly be a redline for India”.
Relations between India and Maldives has been especially sour since it called on the island nation to implement the Supreme Court of February 1, which President Yameen had described as an attempted “judicial coup”. India continued the call to implement the “ruling issued by the Supreme Court’s full bench” in a message released by its External Affairs Ministry, welcoming the lift of the state of emergency.
In a statement released on February 22, the Maldivian government accused the Indian authorities of issuing public statements “that ignore facts and ground realities” are not helpful.
