There has been some tension in relations between the two countries since Muizzu came to power.
New Delhi:
India on Thursday said its first civilian team of technical experts has arrived in the Maldives to replace military personnel operating an advanced light helicopter in the island nation.
Maldivian President Mohammed Muizzu had set March 10 as the deadline for the return of the first group of Indian military personnel from his country.
“The first team of technical personnel to operate the advanced light helicopter has arrived in Maldives. It will replace the existing personnel who are operating this platform,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in his weekly media briefing. Were.”
After the second meeting of the high-level core group formed to address the issue of withdrawal of Indian military personnel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives had said that India will replace all its military personnel in two phases by May 10.
The second meeting of the core group was held in Delhi on 2 February.
The two sides decided to set up the core group following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Muizzu on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai in December last year.
Currently, around 80 Indian military personnel are in the Maldives, primarily to operate two helicopters and one aircraft, which have carried out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.
There was some tension in relations between the two countries after Muizzu came to power in November last year.
Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, said after taking over as President that he would keep his election promise of expelling Indian military personnel from the country.
45-year-old Muizzu had defeated India’s current candidate Ibrahim Mohammad Solih in the presidential election held in September last year.
Maldives is one of India’s major maritime neighbors in the Indian Ocean region and overall bilateral relations, including in the areas of defense and security, saw progress under the previous government of Male.
In August 2022, Modi and then Maldivian President Solih launched the India-funded Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), billed as the largest infrastructure initiative in the island nation.
Under the GMCP, a 6.74 km long bridge and causeway link will be built to connect Malé, the capital of Maldives, with the adjacent islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.
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