The government has announced its decision to terminate the hydrographic survey agreement with India.
At a press conference, Under Secretary for Public Policy at the President's Office Mohamed Firzul said that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's 14-week roadmap includes a policy to terminate the secret bilateral agreements made by the previous government that threaten the sovereignty of the Maldives. The new administration has disclosed the discovery of over 100 bilateral agreements the previous government has made with India within the past five years. One of which is the hydrographic survey agreement.
As such, Firzul said that the hydrographic survey agreement will come to an end in June next year and that the government has informed India that it will not be renewing the agreement. The Maldives is required to disclose to India that it does not intend to renew the agreement six months before its conclusion. Otherwise, the agreement will be renewed automatically for another five years.
Additionally, Firzul said that the President made the decision after consulting with the Cabinet. He also said that the Maldivian military should be tasked with updating the nautical charts and increasing the country's maritime capabilities. He added that involving the participation of foreign parties would undermine national sovereignty and independence.
Furthermore, Firzul said that the President has allocated funding to increase the maritime capabilities of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). He assured that efforts to increase the capacity of the MNDF has begun and that further work in the field of hydrography will be conducted under the complete supervision of Maldivians.
The MNDF Coast Guard and the Indian Naval Hydrographic Office conducted the hydrographic surveys to facilitate the creation of small-scale and large-scale charts that are needed for the growing maritime activities and businesses in the Maldives. The previous navigational maps were made in 1934.