India Says It Is Willing To Boost Maldives' Defence Preparedness

India on Wednesday conveyed to the Maldives its readiness to support the island nation in boosting its defence preparedness as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hosted his Maldivian counterpart Mohammed Ghassan Maumoon for wide-ranging talks focusing on maritime security cooperation.

In their meeting, the two defence ministers reasserted their firm commitment to work closely in realising the joint vision for India-Maldives comprehensive economic and maritime security partnership, according to an Indian readout.

Maumoon is on a three-day visit to India, nearly eight months after New Delhi completed pulling out its military personnel from the Maldives following a demand by its pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu.

The overall episode had significantly frayed the ties between the two nations.

The defence ministry said the two ministers comprehensively reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence and security cooperation.

"During the talks, both sides reasserted the firm commitment to work closely in realising the joint vision for India-Maldives Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership," it said.

Singh "reaffirmed" India's readiness to support the Maldives in capability enhancement for defence preparedness, including provisioning of defence platforms and assets to augment its capacities, as per its national priorities and in line with New Delhi's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the vision of SAGAR, the ministry said.

SAGAR stands for Security And Growth for All in the Region.