New Delhi, August 14: India will get a firmer foothold in the Indian Ocean with Defence Minister A K Antony visiting Maldives this month to finalise military pacts for bringing the island nation into its security net.
Mr. Antony will also hold talks with Maldivian top brass, clinching agreements to place India’s military assets including radars to provide surveillance cover to the island nation and to have Indian warships patrol its waters against possible terrorist attacks and sea pirates, Defence Ministry sources said here on Thursday.
The Defence Minister will be accompanied during the August 20 to 22 visit by senior Navy officers, who will share their experience of securing the Andaman and Nicobar Islands chain with their Maldivian counterparts.
Under these pacts, India is expected to base two of its helicopters in Maldives to enhance its surveillance cover and to quickly respond to emergencies in case of threats.
Mr. Antony is likely to hand over the first helicopter from the Indian Coast Guard to Maldives during this visit and the other helicopter from the Navy would be transferred to the island nation later, sources said.
Maldives will also get coastal radars placed in all 26 atolls soon to keep a watch on all vessels and aircraft approaching the island nation. At present it has only two of its atolls with radar cover.
Interestingly, the Maldivian radar network would be linked to the Indian coastal radar system. After the Mumbai terror attacks, India has already embarked on a project to network all radars along its 7,500-km long coastline.
–PTI