Maldives has formally requested that India remove its military forces by March 15. This comes about two months following the first call for their deportation and during a dispute between the two countries. There are 88 Indian military soldiers in the Maldives.
Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has ordered India to withdraw its military soldiers from his nation, nearly two months after requesting their evacuation, a top official said in Male on Sunday.
In an interview with the media, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the President’s Office’s public policy secretary, stated that President Muizzu has officially asked that India withdraw its military forces by March 15, according to the SunOnline daily.
“Indian military soldiers cannot remain in the Maldives. This is the stance of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and the current government,” he stated.
The Maldives and India have formed a high-level core committee to negotiate the evacuation of soldiers. On Sunday morning, the group met for the first time at the Foreign Ministry hq in Male.
The Indian High Commissioner, Munu Mahawar, also attended the meeting, according to reports. Nazim confirmed the meeting, saying the agenda included a request to evacuate soldiers by March 15. The Indian government wasn’t quick to confirm or respond to the media story.
Shortly after taking oath as President of the Maldives on November 17, last year, Muizzu, a pro-China politician, publicly urged India to evacuate its armed soldiers from his nation, claiming that the Maldivian people had given him a “strong authority” to do so.
The request for the departure of Indian military troops comes amid a dispute between the two countries over insulting statements made by three deputy ministers of the Muizzu administration about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Muizzu dismissed the three ministers following their social media posts, which sparked worry in India and prompted demands for a strike by Indian visitors, who were the most numerous, followed by Russians. Chinese visitors ranked third.
During his recent state trip to China, Muizzu wanted to bring the Maldives nearer to Beijing. President Muizzu, addressing the media on Saturday after coming from China, made a veiled assault on India.
Without identifying any countries, he stated, “We may be small in size, yet that does not give you the right to bully us.”
He also declared intentions to minimize the country’s reliance on India by ensuring imports of key food commodities, medicine, and commodities from other nations.