Key developments. India’s largest-ever joint naval exercise, Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME), launched on 13 April in Dar es Salaam, underscores New Delhi’s broader geopolitical ambitions in the Indo-Mediterranean.
- Co-hosted by Tanzania and involving nations such as Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, and South Africa, AIKEYME is structured in two phases—a “harbour phase” and a “sea phase”—designed to boost India’s regional footprint through anti-piracy operations and maritime capacity building.
- Indian Deputy Defence Minister Sanjay Seth has pledged that the exercise will be held biennially.
What’s AIKEYME? AIKEYME marks a pivotal step in India’s multipolar vision for the Indo-Mediterranean, where it seeks to counter rival influences—especially from China—through robust maritime partnerships with African states.
- This initiative is not just a military exercise might; it opens up new avenues for Italy and Europe to rethink outdated security paradigms.
- By integrating joint security engagements into their African strategies, European partners could reinforce regional stability and reposition themselves within a rapidly evolving global architecture.
Between the lines. Aikeyme reflects India’s maritime vision for the Indo-Mediterranean, where partnerships with African states counter rival influence and boost its role as a strategic alternative — especially to China.
- India is laying the groundwork for a multipolar Indo-Mediterranean order.
- Italy and Europe should engage in this shift to secure regional stability and reposition themselves within a fast-evolving global architecture.
Zoom out. India’s South-South approach offers a compelling alternative to Europe’s fading security-centric model, as shown by setbacks in the Sahel.
- India is pursuing a layered strategy to anchor itself in the Indo-Mediterranean through naval power projection and dual-use port infrastructure, tech and logistics interdependence, and interoperability and security integration.
Italy’s angle. Italy benefits from integrating this southern geopolitical momentum into the Mattei Plan.
- African involvement is essential for a shared vision of Indo-Mediterranean security. Security is the bedrock of development — a key tenet of the Mattei Plan.
What we’re watching. As India deepens bilateral ties—demonstrated by the recent visit of its Defence Secretary to Rome to align strategic maritime and industrial security visions—Italy and Europe have an opportunity to capitalise on this momentum.
- Additionally, a new agreement between the Indian Coast Guard and UAE counterparts, aimed at strengthening responses to hybrid threats and illicit trafficking, further underscores the dynamic nature of this shifting geopolitical landscape.
