New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs confirmed Thursday that it would replace its military personnel in Maldives with a “competent” technical workforce, thereby meeting a demand made by Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu.
Earlier this month, the two sides held a high-level core group meeting in New Delhi where, according to the Maldivian Foreign Ministry, they agreed to a phased replacement of the Indian military personnel posted at three aviation platforms.
The first batch to be replaced will be by 10 March in one of the aviation platforms, and those stationed in the other two will leave by 10 May.
The 77 Indian military personnel were military engineers, trainers, and pilots responsible for operating two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft given by India to the Maldives. They were deployed in the Maldives as part of an agreement between Male and New Delhi.
Earlier this week, while delivering his first address to the People’s Majlis (Parliament of Maldives), President Muizzu reiterated this demand and was quoted by local reports as saying: “The support of a large majority of the Maldivian people for our government is a support and agreement for the removal of foreign soldiers from this land, to recover the territory lost from Maldivian waters and cancel any deals that may harm the sovereignty of the Maldives.”
The Muizzu government also does not plan to renew an agreement that allowed India to conduct hydrographic surveys in Maldivian waters.
The two sides are expected to hold a third high-level group meeting in Malé during the last week of February.
Also read: Mohamed Muizzu unveils ‘India-Out’ vision to near-empty Maldivian Parliament
‘Strongly reject Canada’s claims’
Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry Thursday rejected allegations of interference in the Canadian elections, stating that Ottawa has instead meddled in New Delhi’s internal affairs.
“We have seen media reports about the Canadian commission (looking into election-meddling)… We strongly reject such baseless allegations of Indian interference in Canadian elections,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the weekly media briefing.
“In fact, it’s quite the reverse. It is Canada that has been interfering in our internal affairs,” the official added.
Last month, the Canadian commission looking into these allegations requested the Justin Trudeau government to provide documents relating to India’s alleged interference in Ottawa’s polls, in what was viewed as a fresh jolt to Indo-Canadian ties.
The Foreign Interference Commission was set up by the Trudeau government last September, primarily to focus on alleged interference by China. India was later added to the list after pressure from political leaders such as New Democratic Party (NDP) chief Jagmeet Singh.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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