Malé sets 15 March deadline for troops withdrawal, MEA says countries finding ‘workable solution’
On Sunday, an India-Maldives High Level Core Group met for talks in Malé where the Indian troop withdrawal and the status of India-assisted project in the Maldives was discussed.
Representational photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting with Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu | Photo: ANI
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New Delhi: Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Maldives’s public policy secretary at the presidential office, reportedly said Sunday that Malé has formally requested India to remove all its military personnel from the country by 15 March. Hours later a statement by India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries held high-level talks aimed at finding a “mutually workable solution” to enable the continued operation of Indian military personnel on the island nation.
Malé and New Delhi are currently engaged in a diplomatic feud over disparaging remarks made by now-suspended ministers of President Mohamed Muizzu’s government against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Muizzu, having returned from his first state visit to China, had also remarked Saturday that small countries like Maldives can’t be “bullied”.
On Sunday, an India-Maldives High-Level Core Group met for talks in Malé where the Indian troop withdrawal and the status of India-assisted project in the Maldives were discussed. This group was set up following Modi and Muizzu’s meeting on the sidelines of COP28 in Dubai last year.
In a statement, the group said, “Both sides expressed willingness to intensify cooperation and agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.”
According to the MEA statement, at Sunday’s meeting, “Both sides held discussions on wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation towards identifying steps to enhance the partnership, including expediting the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects”.
India has several ongoing infrastructure projects in Maldives, including a $500 million Greater Malé Connectivity Project that seeks to link Malé with the islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.
“Both sides also held discussions on finding a mutually workable solution to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives,” the MEA statement added.
ThePrint reached out to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal for clarity on whether the Indian side accepted the deadline from the Maldivian government or is still trying to navigate another “workable solution”. This report will be updated when a response is received.
Relations between New Delhi and Malé have been rocky since Maldives President
Mohammed Muizzu, while on the campaign trail last year and following his assumption of office, vowed to remove foreign troops from his country. His government also does not intend on renewing an agreement that allows India to conduct hydrographic surveys in Maldivian waters.
India has maintained a military presence in the island nation over the past few decades. It has at least 75 troops as well, two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft stationed in Maldives, according to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
While Muizzu’s government sees the Indian troops as a threat to Maldives’ national security, New Delhi maintains that Indian troops solely provide humanitarian and medical services to the people of Maldives.
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