New Delhi: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu stuck to his anti-India stance Monday, telling Parliament that New Delhi and Malé had agreed that all Indian troops would leave the island nation by 10 May.
He told legislators his administration would not do anything that would compromise the nation’s sovereignty.
Muizzu said he would “remain steadfast” and not give in to any external pressure “under any circumstances” if it posed a risk to the country’s independence and sovereignty.
According to The Edition newspaper in Maldives, Muizu said: “We have officially requested India to remove its troops stationed in the Maldives. Deliberations on this issue are ongoing. As per the most recent discussions, military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms will be recalled before March 10, 2024. The military personnel on the remaining two platforms will also be recalled by May 10, 2024.”
India has 87 troops in the island nation to provide humanitarian aid and medical evacuation. The Maldivian Foreign Ministry had told Reuters Sunday that the two countries were seeking an agreement on the pullout that has strained ties.
The soldiers stationed in the Indian Ocean archipelago would be replaced by civilians, officials from both countries said.
Muizzu further told Parliament Monday that he believed a large majority of Maldivians supported his administration with the expectation that they would remove foreign military presence from the country, recover the lost oceanic territory, and ensure to not allow any state agreements that may compromise the country’s sovereignty.
Muizzu said the Maldivian military would soon be capable of guaranteeing the protection of the Maldives Exclusive Economic Zone around the clock.
The two main opposition parties — MDP and Democrats — boycotted the President’s inaugural address at the commencement of the final session of the 19th Parliament.
Relations between New Delhi and Malé have been tense since Muizzu’s election last year, his popularity fuelled by his ‘India Out’ campaign. He not only asked India to remove troops but also broke tradition by making China the destination of his first state visit, and not India as was tradition with his predecessors.
Matters came to a head further last month after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep and urged Indians to visit the island. Three Maldivian ministers made distasteful remarks against Modi on X, and were subsequently suspended.
Also read: Maldives’ Muizzu faces flak for not using Indian Dornier to airlift 13-yr-old who suffered stroke
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