- By Shivam Shandilya
- Sat, 03 Feb 2024 07:12 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
India will replace its military personnel in one of the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by March 10 and will complete the replacement by May 10, reports news agency ANI, citing the Maldives Foreign Ministry. The second key meeting of the core group between the Maldives and India took place in Delhi on Friday.
"Both sides agreed that the Government of India will replace the military personnel in one of the three aviation platform by 10 March 2024, and will complete replacing military personnel in the other two platforms by 10 May 2024," the Maldives Foreign Ministry stated.
The Maldives said that both sides reviewed the existing bilateral cooperation to improve and enhance partnerships in the fields of defence and security cooperation, economic, and development. The third high-level core group meeting will be held in Male on a mutually agreeable date during the last week of February.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated in its statement that both India and the Maldives have agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of the Maldives.
"Both sides also agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medvac services to the people of Maldives," the MEA added.
Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu asked India to withdraw all its military personnel from the island nation by March 15. Presently, around 80 Indian military personnel are in the Maldives, primarily to operate two helicopters and an aircraft that carry out hundreds of medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.
The ties between the two countries have been under some strain since Muizzu came to power in November. After coming to power, Muizzu, seen as a pro-China leader, maintained that he would keep his election promise of evicting Indian military personnel from his country. He defeated India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the presidential runoff held in September last year.
The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region, and the overall bilateral ties, including in areas of defence and security, witnessed an upward trajectory under the previous government in Male.
(With input from agencies)
