India-Maldives Military Personnel: Diplomatic Tensions Rise Amidst Withdrawal Claims

In a surprising turn of events, Maldives President Mohammad Muizzu personal on Sunday that India had well-set to the withdrawal of approximately 75 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives for humanitarian operations. This decision, a part of President Muizzu’s “India Out” referendum wayfarers slogan, comes as a thwarting for New Delhi, which had been emphasizing the utility of Indian personnel in the Maldives.

“The Indian government has unpreventable the people of Maldives that it will respect their visualization regarding the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives,” stated the Maldives President’s office in a tweet, quoting Muizzu’s printing priming without his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai.

However, Indian government sources countered Muizzu’s claim, asserting that discussions on the matter were still “ongoing,” and the newly worked “core group” would assess whether the Indian naval personnel working on humanitarian projects in the Maldives should stay or not.

While the Ministry of External Affairs refrained from commenting, sources indicated that the issue of Indian platforms and personnel involved in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) programs was transiently discussed during the leaders’ meeting in Dubai. Notably, the subject wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the official readouts issued by both governments without the talks on Friday.

The personnel issue has been contentious since President Muizzu took power in October, reiterating his wayfarers promise of “ensuring the Maldives’ sovereignty.” The Maldives government, led by Muizzu, is pushing for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from Addu island, where they are primarily stationed.

Indian government sources emphasized the significance of HADR operations as an “important segment” of the bilateral minutiae partnership. They stressed the need to assess the unfurled usefulness of Indian platforms and personnel in a proper perspective, indicating that discussions on the matter were ongoing within the agreed-upon cadre group.

President Muizzu’s unwavering stance on the withdrawal raises concerns well-nigh potential strains in India-Maldives relations and suggests that engagement with the new Maldivian leadership might not be as straightforward as it was with the previous administration. The situation remains fluid, and the trajectory of diplomatic relations between the two countries will likely unfold in the coming days.

India-Maldives Diplomatic Tensions: Clarifications and Contradictions

The President of the Maldives spoken on Sunday that India has well-set to withdraw its unwashed from the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.

“In the discussions we had, the Indian government has well-set to remove Indian soldiers… We moreover well-set to set up a upper level committee to solve issues related to minutiae projects,” the President Mohamed Muizzu told reporters in Male.

Despite the Maldivian President stating that New Delhi well-set to withdrawing Indian military personnel, sources from the inside government clarified that the two sides are currently engaged in discussions on the matter.

According to government sources, the troop withdrawal issue was transiently discussed during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Maldivian President on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai.

The sources added, “We have seen reports well-nigh the status of Indian platforms in the Maldives engaged in HADR (high availability disaster recovery) activities. The unfurled usefulness of the Indian platforms, as recognised in discussions, needs to be looked at from a proper perspective.”

The inside government sources moreover pointed out that the Maldivian side has undisputed the utility of these platforms. “The fact that it is an important segment of our bilateral minutiae partnership is recognised by both sides. Discussions on how to alimony them operational are ongoing,” government sources said.

Muizzu, who was recently elected, formally requested India on November 18 to withdraw its military presence from the country. Soon without thesping power older this month, he had asserted that he was firmly single-minded to ensuring that his country remains “free” of any “foreign military presence” to preserve its independence and sovereignty.

Earlier, Muizzu had stated that the Maldives is too small to get unprotected up in geopolitical competition. He moreover stated that he has no interest in interfering in the current foreign policy of the Maldives. ‘Maldives is too small to get unprotected up in geopolitical rivalry.

“I am not very interested in interfering in the country’s foreign policy,” explained Muizzu.

In October, Muizzu had said that talks had begun with India to remove its military presence in the Maldives.

The removal of Indian troops was the main wayfarers weapon of Muizzu’s party, who ousted President Ibrahim Solih last month. At present, virtually 70 Indian troops, withal with Dornier 228 maritime patrol watercraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, are stationed in the Maldives.

Muizu, 45, won the referendum in September 2023. He prioritised whistle-stop versus India’s political and economic influence in the Maldives. At the same time, he moreover clarified that asking India to remove military personnel is not to bring Chinese or any other country’s troops to Maldives.

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