India welcomes U.S.-Maldives defence agreement

News: U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) and the Maldives Ministry of Defence

has signed the “Framework for a Defence and Security Relationship” agreement. 

Facts:

  • About the agreement: It is a military agreement that talks about maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean and promoting a rules-based order that promotes stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • The agreement also involves basic cooperation between the U.S. and Maldivian navies and mandates that the two sides schedule their first Defence and Security Dialogue mechanism talks.