Maldives President says Indian troops will leave island nation by May

Maldives president criticized for anti-India stance

New Delhi:

Maintaining his anti-India stance, Maldives President Mohamed Muizum today told parliament that the island nation will not allow “any country to interfere or undermine our sovereignty”. According to local media reports, he said that New Delhi and Male have agreed that Indian troops will withdraw from the Maldives by May 10.

President Muizu said that Indian troops on one of the three aviation platforms in the Maldives will be withdrawn by March 10, and those on the other two aviation platforms will be withdrawn by May 10. Underwater chart. We will not allow any country to interfere or undermine our sovereignty,” the president said.

India has stationed more than 80 troops in the island nation to provide humanitarian assistance and medical evacuation. President Muizu campaigned on reducing India’s influence in Maldivian affairs, and the presence of Indian soldiers has been a major point of contention since he took office.

Reuters reported earlier that the two sides reached an agreement on the troop withdrawal at a meeting in New Delhi.

The Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries “agreed on a mutually workable solution to enable Indian aviation platforms to continue operating” to provide humanitarian services to the Maldives. According to Reuters, the soldiers will be replaced by civilians.

President Muizu’s anti-India stance has drawn criticism at home, especially given the new administration’s engagement with China. President Muizu visited China and met with President Xi Jinping shortly after taking office. This is a major change in the traditionally close relationship between the Maldives and India, and a major development in the geopolitical landscape of the Indian Ocean region.

The opposition Democratic Party and Democratic Party recently issued a joint statement calling the shift in the island nation’s foreign policy “extremely harmful.”

“Alienating any development partner, especially the country’s most long-term allies, will be extremely detrimental to the country’s long-term development,” the statement said. The statement also emphasized that “the stability and security of the Indian Ocean are crucial to the stability and security of the Maldives.”

Another political party urged President Muizu to apologize to India. Jumhuri Party leader Gasouim Ibrahim said the Maldives president must formally apologize to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and seek “diplomatic reconciliation” to repair relations.

Ibrahim’s remarks were referring to a statement issued by President Muizu shortly after returning from China. “We may be small, but that doesn’t mean they have the right to bully us,” he said, without naming any country. The remarks were seen as a swipe at India.

Asked about the strained relations, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said the neighbors need each other. “History and geography are very powerful forces. There’s no escaping it,” he said.