India to remove all military troops by May: Maldives

NEW DELHI: Maldives, on Friday, said that India agreed to replace the military personnel in one of the three aviation platforms by March 10 of this year.

In a statement, Maldives' foreign ministry said that India will replace its military personnel in the other two platforms by May 10 2024. "It was agreed that the third meeting of the High-Level core Group will be held in Male’ on a mutually agreeable date during the last week of February," the statement added.

This statement came following the second round of talks that took place between the two nations earlier today over Male's demand for the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Meanwhile, the ministry of external affairs, in a statement, said that both sides continued their 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.

"Both sides also agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives. It was agreed to hold the next meeting of the High Level Core Group in Male on a mutually convenient date," the ministry added.

This core group meeting came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu's meeting during the COP28 summit in Dubai last December.

Last month, President Muizzu requested that India withdraw all its military personnel from the Maldives by March 15. Currently, there are approximately 80 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives, primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft used for medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.

The relationship between India and the Maldives has faced challenges since President Muizzu assumed power in November. He has expressed his intention to fulfill his election promise of removing Indian military personnel from the country.

President Muizzu, considered to have pro-China leanings, defeated the incumbent, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who had maintained friendly ties with India. The Maldives holds strategic importance for India as a maritime neighbor in the Indian Ocean Region. Under the previous government in Male, bilateral ties, particularly in defence and security, saw positive development.

After the first meeting of the core group on January 14, the Ministry of External Affairs said that sides were looking at finding a mutually workable solution to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of Maldives.