Maldives calls for withdrawal of Indian troops by March 15

MALE – The Maldives has called for India to withdraw troops from its territory by March 15, an official said on Jan 14, in a step that will further strain ties between the South Asian neighbours.

President Mohamed Muizzu won the nation’s presidential election in 2023 with a pledge to end the Maldives’ “India first” policy, in a region where New Delhi and Beijing compete for influence.

A small contingent of around 80 Indian soldiers are stationed on the Indian Ocean archipelago to provide support for military equipment given to the Maldives by New Delhi and assist in humanitarian activities in the region. Dr Muizzu proposed their removal in talks at the foreign ministry between senior delegations from both countries.

“In this meeting, on behalf of President Muizzu, the Maldivian delegation proposed the removal of Indian troops by March 15,” President’s Office policy director Ahmed Nazim told reporters.

“This date was proposed in the agenda by the government and specifically the president. These discussions are ongoing.”

In his campaign, Dr Muizzu called New Delhi’s huge influence a threat to sovereignty and pledged to remove Indian troops.

“The most important point to note here is that Indian troops cannot stay in the Maldives. That’s the policy of this government. It is also the president’s pledge and what the people of Maldives want,” Nazim added.

India’s foreign ministry confirmed that a wide range of issues on bilateral cooperation were discussed between the two countries, but the statement was quiet on the issue of the soldiers’ departure from the islands.

“Both sides also held discussions on finding mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives,” the statement said.

China and the Maldives upgraded their relationship during Dr Muizzu’s first state visit to Beijing last week by agreeing to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” that sets the stage for the Asian giant to up its investments in the Maldives.

The Maldives owes China US$1.37 billion (S$1.82 billion), or around 20 per cent of its public debt, according to World Bank data.

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