Ekuverin Exercise - India-Maldives Joint Military Exercise

By : Neha Dhyani

Updated : Jun 14, 2022, 16:21

The Maldives is located near the Lakshadweep Islands and is a neighbour country of India. When the Maldives achieved independence in 1966, it became close friends with India.

Maldives and India formed military cooperation relations with each other. In 2009, India and Maldives decided to start a joint military exercise for better training.

Ekuverin Exercise - Overview

It is how the Ekuverin Exercise came into existence. Ekuverin is an exercise that lasts for two weeks and is alternatively hosted in India and the Maldives.

In 2021, the Maldives hosted the 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise for joint military training. The etymological meaning of the word Ekuverin comes from the Dhivehi language.

Dhivehi is considered an Indo-Aryan language used by many people in the Maldives. The literal translation of the word Ekuverin' in the English language is friends.

Origin of Ekuverin Exercise

The Ekuverin Exercise was started to strengthen India's relationship with the Maldives. Also, India offers support to its neighbours in the Indian Ocean. India supports its neighbours in the Indian Ocean to counter the aggressive expansion of China.

India is a generous country and the first to respond during disaster recovery scenarios. India believes that via the Ekuverin Exercise, the military will be ready for combat or disaster recovery at all times.

The relationship between India and the Maldives started in the 1960s, and Ekuverin is an initiative to further strengthen the relationship.

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Benefits of Ekuverin Exercise

The pros of the Ekuverin Exercise are as follows -

  1. The Ekuverin Exercise allows the military of both nations to observe and learn from each other's defences.
  2. Both nations can know about each other's weapons and artillery. By doing so, forces of both nations can come together quickly during a war or humanitarian scenario.
  3. By eliminating the language barrier, the Ekuverin Exercise focuses on building a long-term alliance between India and the Maldives.

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Key Facts of the Ekuverin Exercise 2021

Things to know about the Ekuverin Exercise in 2021 are as follows -

The 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise was hosted by the Maldives in 2021. The joint military exercise was held at the Kadhdhoo Island of the Maldives.

The interoperability of the defence forces of India and the Maldives was strengthened during the 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise.

Apart from strengthening the interoperability of forces, the 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise also focused on counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency programs.

Many cultural and sports activities were also part of the 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise. Cultural and sports activities were conducted to strengthen the bilateral relationships between India and the Maldives.

The 12th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise will be hosted in India. Ekuverin Exercise is one of those initiatives that help India to maintain bilateral ties with its neighbours.

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FAQs on Ekuverin Exercise

Q1. Where will the 12th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise occur?

India will organise the upcoming edition of the Ekuverin Exercise.

Q2. How many days are dedicated to the Ekuverin Exercise every year?

Every year, around 14 days are dedicated to the Ekuverin Exercise.

Q3. With regard to the Ekuverin Exercise, does India have close ties with the Maldives at present?

With regards to the Ekuverin Exercise, India has close ethnic, cultural, social, diplomatic, and bilateral relations with the Maldives. For the same reason, both nations indulge in the Ekuverin Exercise.

Q4. What was the key focus of the 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise?

The key focus of the 11th edition of the Ekuverin Exercise was enhancing the interoperability of defences.