Former President Abdulla Yameen's government agreed to carry out a "major military project" with India in Male' atoll Uthuru Thila Falhu (UTF) but the current administration reduced its scope to build a naval dockyard for the Coast Guard, the Defense Ministry has said.
In a statement released on Saturday denying the opposition's claims implying that the 'Ekatha' harbor under development at UTF is an Indian military base, the Defense Ministry said the harbor under development in the lagoon with Indian grant aid will be used by the Maldives Coast Guard.
Discussions with India about developing UTF first started during Yameen's administration in 2013, the statement noted.
"[During a visit to India by the then-Defense Minister], the government's vision and concept design to carry out a major project in Uthuru Thila Falhu were proposed to the Indian government."
Yameen's administration agreed to carry out a major military project under the 'Action Plan on Defense Cooperation between the Maldives and India' agreement signed in 2016, the Defense Ministry said.
"After narrowing the scope of the major military project proposed by the former government in 2013, this government decided in 2019 to develop a harbor for docking Coast Guard vessels along with a dockyard for repairing the vessels," the ministry said.
No foreign troops are based in the Maldives for military purposes, the Defense Ministry assured. Tops generals of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) gave the same assurance in interviews with state media last week.
"What we want to note on behalf of the army is that there aren't any places or military bases where Maldivian soldiers do not exercise authority. And I believe that opportunity won't be allowed to anyone in the future," said Chief of Defense Forces Major General Abdulla Shamaal.
The naval dockyard in UTF is also under the full control of the Maldivian military and construction work is done by “commercial” contractors, the army chief said.
