NEIGHBOURHOOD FIRST

India-Maldives Relations    Coordinator: Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Ashok K. Mehta

Panelists: Dr. Gulbin Sultana, Research Analyst, South Asia Centre, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses; Dr. N. Sathiya Moorthy, Distinguished Fellow and Head,  Observer Research Foundation’s Chennai Initiative; and Dr. Sripathi Narayanan, independent geopolitical analyst

Chair: Maj. Gen Ashok K. Mehta 

After Bhutan, Maldives is the smallest country in India’s neighbourhood. Its strategic location along Channel 8 in the Indian Ocean allows it to dominate major shipping routes. Maldives follows an India First policy though not long ago it was considered ‘lost to China’. Recovering Maldives from China’s orbit is a foreign policy success though the story is not finished. The elections in September 2023 are important in this context.