While the pre-poll environment in Maldives is relatively peaceful, the political fragmentation makes it difficult to project a certain outcome in the upcoming presidential elections.
The ambitious policy measures taken by the Ranil Wickremasinghe government to revive the economy have yielded some positive outcomes though concerns remain over their implementation.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s opinion piece ‘How French President Macron’s visit to Sri Lanka will usher in a new dynamism in Indo-Pacific’ got published in Firstpost on 03 August 2023.
France is keen to strengthen its relations with Sri Lanka as part of its 'Indo-Pacific strategy'. Sri Lanka’s multiple crises too have obligated the government in Colombo to reach out and deepen the ties, saus Dr Sultana.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s article ‘Opportune Moment for India and Sri Lanka to Realise the Shared Vision’ has been published in the Financial Express on 25 July 2023.
The Current Sri Lankan government believes that the island country can benefit immensely by integrating with the Indian economy, says Dr Sultana.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s article ‘India-Maldives defence and security cooperation’ got published in Financial Express on 05 May 2023.
The main purpose of the Defence Minister’s visit was to review and bolster the longstanding defence cooperation between Maldives and India, says Dr Sultana.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s Oped ‘IMF bailout package for Sri Lanka: Pros, cons and risks involved’ has been published in Financial Express on 24 March 2023.
The IMF bailout package, while expected to improve the foreign reserve of the country and reduce the skyrocketing inflation the country is witnessing now; is not the ultimate solution to address Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic problems, says Dr Sultana.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s commentary, ‘Ibrahim Solih Wins Maldivian Ruling Party’s Presidential Primary Election amidst the Intra-Party Differences’ was published in the Financial Express, on 29 January 2023.
India needs to closely monitor the domestic political developments in the Maldives in the coming months as the impact of the same would be felt in the bilateral relations between the two neighbours.
Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s commentary "Why should India assist Crisis-ridden Sri Lanka?’ has been published by the Kalinga International Foundation, on 31 July 2022.
India’s proactive role during the crisis is going to reduce the anti-India sentiment significantly. However, there is a caveat though. Despite the generous assistance, a section in Sri Lanka may likely to continue its anti-India propaganda; but that should not discourage India to continue its assistance to crisis-ridden Sri Lank, says Dr Sultana.
Research Analyst, Manohar Parrikar IDSA, Dr Gulbin Sultana’s article ‘Indian assistance to crisis ridden Sri Lanka’ has been published in Financial Express on 26 June 2022.
India’s assistance to Sri Lanka is in line with its policy of “neighbourhood first” and vision for “Security and Growth for All (SAGAR).” These twin principles underline India’s emphasis on emerging as a first respondent as well as working in collaboration with other countries to meet the requirements of neighbouring countries in the Region, says Dr Sultana.
