After China, Maldives now joins hands with India-hating Turkiye

After President Muizzu’s visit to Turkiye, now the Turkish warship has arrived in Maldives

(From left) Mohamed Muizzu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Male (Maldives) – The ties between India and Turkiye have been in a downward spiral because of Turkiye’s inability to decouple itself from Pakistan on the issue of Kashmir. A defiant Maldives not only opened doors to Chinese ‘spy ships,’ but it is also cozying up to Turkiye, another of India’s adversaries. The new government in Maldives led by President Mohamed Muizzu came on its campaign of ‘India Out.’ They even ousted 77 Indian military personnel deployed on the island nation.

Turkish warship, Credits : Eurasian Times

After signing a multi-million-dollar deal with Turkiye to purchase military drones to patrol the high seas, the island nation of Maldives is hosting the Turkish warship TCG Kinaliada in Male. The visit of the Turkish warship comes at a time when India’s ties with both Maldives and Turkiye have hit an all-time low. Mohamed Muizzu recently visited Turkiye. At this, Muizzu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed and signed various agreements. The official said that the visit will strengthen Turkiye-Maldives relations.

A senior officer of the Maldives National Defense Force claimed that it was on a goodwill visit to the Maldives. The new government in Maldives has signed a USD 37 million (Rs 31 crore) deal with Turkiye to buy military drones that will patrol its high seas – a task so far done by India in partnership with the Maldivian defence forces.

Editorial Perspective

India should put a curb on Maldives before it strengthens its relations with India’s adversaries, otherwise Maldives can become a headache for India in the future or it may become a new battlefield strategically paving way for China to conquer India.