India opens new naval base near Maldives

Reuters :
India on Wednesday opened a new naval base on its Indian Ocean island close to the Maldives, as ties with Male remain tense and New Delhi jostles anew with China for influence in the region.
INS Jatayu, the new base on Minicoy Island, on India’s Lakshadweep archipelago, had been under construction for years, and is India’s most distant base on its western coast. The navy has had a small presence on the island for decades.
The opening comes just as the Maldives pushes India to start withdrawing its nearly 80 troops who have been stationed there to provide technical and medical assistance on three aircraft given to its southern neighbour nation by New Delhi earlier.
The Maldives, which have traditionally had close ties to India, is pivoting towards Beijing since new President Mohamed Muizzu was elected in October on a promise to end the country’s pro-India stance.
India’s new base on Minicoy is around 125km from the Maldives. The region is important to New Delhi for securing the passage of maritime traffic through the Indian Ocean, and the new base will help in its surveillance efforts in the region.
The Indian Navy said in a statement on Wednesday that the base will strengthen its “foothold in the Lakshadweep island while extending capacity building, operational reach and sustenance in the region.”
The navy also commissioned a new squadron of American MH-60R “Seahawk” helicopters in Kochi, also on India’s western coast. The squadron, it said, will “augment our maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.”