NEW DELHI: The Maldives government said it has India’s assurance on the withdrawal of Indian troops from the nation as per the Maldivian people’s wishes.
The removal of Indian soldiers from the Maldives was one of the key election promises of President Mohamed Muizzu.
His government disclosed on Nov 19, two days after Muizzu was sworn in as president, that 77 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives.
The president on Sunday conveyed “the Indian government’s assurance to honour and respect the desire of the Maldivian people to abstain from accommodating foreign military presence within the country”, according to a government statement.
Muizzu talked about this issue during a media briefing at the Velana International Airport upon his return from official visits to Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates.
The president “highlighted that he had engaged in several fruitful dialogues with representatives of the Indian government, specifically addressing the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives”, the statement said.
Twenty-four Indian personnel are involved in helicopter operations, 25 are engaged in the operations of a Dornier aircraft, 26 are assigned to a second helicopter’s operations, and two people are responsible for the maintenance and engineering works of these aircraft, according to the Maldives government.
Muizzu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met on the sidelines of the COP-28 summit in Dubai on Friday and agreed to set up a “core group” to address bilateral issues.–Bernama
