Malé, Maldives — India and the Maldives have further strengthened their close defence and maritime partnership with the visit of Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) of the Indian Navy, to the Maldives from 15 to 17 December 2025. The visit coincided with the closing ceremony of Exercise Ekatha 2025, the flagship annual bilateral maritime exercise between the two countries.
Established in 2017, Exercise Ekatha has emerged as a key pillar of India–Maldives defence cooperation. The eighth edition of the exercise featured wide-ranging professional engagements designed to enhance interoperability and operational synergy between the Indian Navy and the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). Activities included technical and combat diving, boarding operations, live firing drills, demolition and explosive handling, asymmetric warfare tactics, and specialised heli-borne operations.
Upon arrival in Malé, Vice Admiral Sobti called on the Chief of Defence Force of the MNDF, Major General Ibrahim Hilmy. Their discussions focused on regional maritime security challenges in the Indian Ocean, expanding training and capacity-building initiatives, strengthening cooperation to counter drug trafficking and transnational crime, and reviewing the progress of ongoing Indian-supported defence projects in the Maldives. Both sides also explored avenues to further enhance maritime domain awareness and real-time information sharing between the two navies.
As part of India’s continued support for the development of the Maldives’ defence capabilities, the DCNS handed over a consignment of operational spares for MNDF Coast Guard Ship Huravee to Major General Hilmy. The handover ceremony was held onboard INS Sharda in Malé on 15 December 2025, underscoring India’s practical and sustained assistance to the MNDF in maintaining operational readiness.
The visit, Vice Admiral Sobti’s first to the Maldives in his current role, reaffirmed the Indian Navy’s enduring commitment to supporting regional partners. It also highlighted the deep-rooted defence ties between India and the Maldives, built on trust, capacity building, training, and maritime cooperation.
India has been a longstanding partner in the development of the Maldives’ defence sector, particularly in maritime security, infrastructure, training, and asset support. These efforts align with India’s vision of Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth for All in the Region (MAHASAGAR) and its Neighbourhood First policy, which place the Maldives at the centre of India’s approach to security and stability in the Indian Ocean Region. (Source: PIB.gov.in)
