NEW DELHI – Maldives is a “challenge” for India at the moment as itscurrent government is more inclined towards China, Navy Chief Admiral SunilLanba said today, indicating that the ties between New Delhi and Male areyet to reach a level of normalcy.

Lanba, however, added that patrolling of the Maldives Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ) by the Indian Navy has again commenced and that India wouldcontinue to work with the government of the archipelago nation.He also saidthere is no necessity to get a military dimension to the Quad involvingIndia, the US, Australia and Japan.

“Maldives is a challenge at the moment. The present government in Maldivesis more inclined towards China. The constitution has been tweaked and someislands have been given to the Chinese for development. There is no news atthe moment of any listening post in the Maldives. There is some developmentthat is going on. We will have to wait and watch,” Lanba said in responseto a question at an event at the Vivekananda Foundation International.

India’s ties with Maldives nose-dived after it criticised the AbdullaYameen government for imposing a 45-day emergency in the archipelago nationearlier this year.

During the crisis, India had ignored calls for military intervention fromthe opposition parties in the island nation.The influence of China onMaldives, an island nation in the Indian ocean, considered a backyard ofIndia, has been growing and it is seen as a concern in New Delhi.

Maldives neither participated in the multi-national ‘MILAN’ naval conclave,a congregation of littoral navies conducted biennially by the Indian Navyat the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which was held in mid-March this yearnor did its defence minister lead his country’s delegation to take part inthe DefExpo2018.