President Mohamed Muizzu announced on Friday during a campaign event for ruling party candidates, ahead of the parliamentary elections later this month, that the second contingent of Indian military personnel operating a helicopter has departed the Maldives under a bilateral agreement with India.
According to local media reports, Muizzu stated, "The first team has already gone. Now, on April 9, the soldiers on the second platform have also been withdrawn."
The agreement between Maldives and India entails the replacement of Indian military personnel stationed in Maldives with trained civilians from India to oversee the operations of the military aircraft gifted by India.
Muizzu, known for his pro-China stance, further mentioned that the remaining Indian soldiers on the last platform would also leave the Maldives before May 10, fulfilling his pledge to remove Indian soldiers from the island nation.
He emphasized, "There is only one platform left. As the two countries have already signed, they [the remaining Indian military personnel] will also be recalled ahead of May 10. They will leave."
However, Muizzu did not provide details regarding whether the soldiers had been replaced by Indian civilians.
As of now, neither the Maldives Defense Ministry nor India has commented on the latest withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives.
According to the Maldives government, 88 Indian soldiers were stationed in the Maldives to operate helicopters in Addu and Laamu Kadhdhoo and a Dornier aircraft in Hanimaadhoo, including doctors at the Senahiya military hospital.
The first group of Indian soldiers left the Maldives on March 11, with the Defence Ministry indicating that 26 soldiers based in Addu were replaced by 26 Indian civilians. Additionally, India replaced the old helicopter in Addu with a new one.
Relations between Maldives and India have experienced strain since Muizzu assumed power in November last year, while closer ties with China have been maintained. Muizzu visited China in January and met with top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping.
Recently, China and the Maldives signed a defense cooperation agreement along with several other infrastructure development projects.
The Maldives holds significance as India’s key maritime neighbor in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and plays a crucial role in initiatives like ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the ‘Neighborhood First Policy’ of the Narendra Modi government
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