Maldives Ends India's Hydrography Agreement | 16 Dec 2023

The current Maldives’s government, steering away from the 'India First' policy, has opted not to renew the hydrography agreement with India citing national security concerns and the safeguarding of sensitive information.

• The hydrographic survey agreement was signed on June 8, 2019, during the Indian Prime Minister's visit to the Maldives.
  • Under the agreement, India was allowed to conduct a comprehensive study of the island nation's territorial waters, which includes reefs, lagoons, coastlines, ocean currents, and tide levels.
• The third Joint hydrographic survey by the Indian Navy and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) was carried out by an Indian Naval Ship Investigator (INS Investigator) from 19^th January to 26th February 2023.
• Earlier, the current Maldives’s government also requested India to withdraw its military personnel from the island.

Read more: India-Maldives Relations