PM Modi, President Solih inaugurate coastal surveillance radar system

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Saturday jointly inaugurated the Coastal Surveillance Radar System (CSRS) built by India and a composite training facility of the Maldives National Defence Force.

The inauguration is considered significant as China views the Maldives as key to its Maritime Silk Road project in the Indian Ocean as it has already acquired Hambantota port in Sri Lanka and Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

The CSRS is the primary sensor for Integrated Coastal Surveillance System. This programme contributes to creating a network of information to maritime domain awareness in the strategic Indian Ocean region.

The two leaders- Narendra Modi and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih also jointly inaugurated the composite training facility of the Maldives National Defence Force in Maafilaafushi on Saturday.

Ties between India and the Maldives have turned considerably warmer after the election of Solih as president in September. New Delhi’s equation with former president Abdullah Yameen was far from cordial given Yameen’s crackdown on political parties in his country and his focus on deepening ties with India’s strategic rival China.

Given the current collaborations, the relations are expected to get better.

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