Maldives formally India to withdraw its military Presence

India to withdraw its military presence

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military presence from the island nation. The request was made public by the president’s office through an official statement.

India to officially Withdraw its Military Presence

The announcement was made by the office of the Maldives president on Saturday. The office said that Muizzu formally made the request when he met Union Minister Kiren Rijiju at the President’s Office earlier in the day. Rijiju, who is the minister of earth sciences, was in the country to attend the swearing-in ceremony. A day after he was sworn in, the office of Maldives president Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday announced that the government has officially asked India to withdraw its military presence from the country. Sources in the ministry of external affairs said “workable solutions” are being discussed between the two governments.

India has around 70 soldiers in the Maldives, manning radars and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships also help patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone.

India has around 70 soldiers in the Maldives, manning radars and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships also help patrol the country’s exclusive economic zone. 

Indian government sources said when Mr Rijiju called on Mr Muizzu, the president brought up the issue of Indian military personnel present in the Maldives to operate aircraft for medical evacuation and anti-drug trafficking purposes.

The sources said President Muizzu acknowledged the contribution of these Indian helicopters and planes towards the medical evacuation of Maldivian citizens. They are also central to the confidence that international tourists have while staying on remote islands. 

It was agreed that the two Governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation through the use of these platforms as this serves the interests of the people of Maldives.

The withdrawal of foreign troops from the archipelago has been one of the key promises of the new president and he had reiterated his resolve to do so in his first speech to the nation after being sworn in on Friday.

Foreign Military Personnel in the Maldives.

Without naming India, Muizzu said, “The country will not have any foreign military presence personnel in the Maldives.” Maldives’ recently elected government has issued a formal request to India to withdraw its troops stationed on the island-country’s soil, as per an official statement issued on November 18.

“The Government of Maldives has formally requested Government of India to withdraw its military presence personnel from the Maldives,” the statement noted. The request was made by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, who met Indian Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in Malé earlier in the day.

When Rijiju called on Muizzi at the President’s office, the latter acknowledged the contribution of the Indian helicopters and aircraft for medical evacuation of Maldivian citizens, news agency ANI reported, citing sources.

Muizzi appreciated their role in monitoring and combating drug trafficking, the sources reportedly added, while also noting that it was agreed that the two governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation through the use of these platforms.

Also read | The withdrawal of India’s military presence in Maldives was one of the major issues in the tightly contested presidential elections held in September.

Poll Promise

The withdrawal of foreign troops from the archipelago has been one of the key promises of the new president and he had reiterated his resolve to do so in his first speech to the nation after being sworn in on Friday. 

Without naming India, Mr Muizzu said, “The country will not have any foreign military personnel in the Maldives.” Earlier in the week, Mr Muizzu, who is widely seen as pro-China, had told AFP that his intention was not to upend the regional balance by replacing the Indian military with Chinese troops.

Maldivian Foreign Policy

“When it comes to our security, I will draw a red line. The Maldives will respect the red lines of other countries too,” news agency AFP quoted him as saying. Earlier in the week, Muizzu, who is widely seen as pro-China, had told AFP that his intention was not to upend the regional balance by replacing the Indian military presence with Chinese troops.

“Maldives is too small to be entangled in geopolitical rivalry. I am not very much interested to engage the Maldivian foreign policy in this,” he had said.

India to Withdraw its Military

The Maldives government has formally requested India to withdraw its military presence personnel from its shores, a press release issued from the Maldives President’s office said. The Indian side said both countries will try to find a”workable solution”. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu formally made the request when he met the Minister of Earth Sciences of India, H.E. Mr Kiren Rijiju, at the President’s Office earlier today,” the release said. Union minister Kiren Rijiju represented India at the inauguration of the Maldives’ new leader which was a significant downgrade from the previous occasions where the prime minister was present.

The Maldives for operating aircraft…

The Indian government sources said Muizzu, in the meeting, brought up the issue of Indian military presence personnel present in the Maldives for operating aircraft for medical evacuation and to counter drug trafficking. The president acknowledged the contribution of the Indian helicopters and aircraft for medical evacuation of Maldivian citizens, they said.

“They are also central to the confidence that international tourists have in staying in remote islands. He appreciated their role in monitoring and combating drug trafficking,” said a source.

“It was agreed that the two governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation through the use of these platforms as this serves the interests of the people of the Maldives,” it said. Before being elected, Muizzu made it clear that his top priority would be to remove the presence of the Indian military presence as soon as possible.

The announcement, made by the Maldivian President’s office, said his country “hopes that India will honour the democratic will of the people”. The request was made when Muizzu met Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju in Malé earlier in the day.

“The President noted that at the Presidential Election held in September, the Maldivian people had given him a strong mandate to make the request to India and expressed the hope that India will honour the democratic will of the people of the Maldives,” the statement read.

“When Minister Rijiju called on President Muizzu, the President brought up the issue of Indian military personnel present in the Maldives for operating aircraft for medical evacuation and counter drug trafficking purposes,” it added.

The request for the withdrawal of Indian troops from the island nation comes a day after Muizzu took oath as the Maldivian president. Engineer-turned-politician, Muizzu, 45, was inducted as the eighth president of the archipelago nation after he resigned as the mayor of Malé.

Rijiju, among other South Asian ministers, represented the country at Muizzu’s inauguration ceremony held on Friday. Shortly after Muizzu’s inauguration ceremony, Maldivian president held a tete-a-tete with Rijiju and his office said their meeting also reviewed “various projects in Maldives with the support of India”.

“The President (at the meeting with Rijiju) emphasised the importance of accelerating the Greater Malé Connectivity Project (GMCP), and highlighted the importance of addressing and overcoming the issues delaying the project,” it stated.

It further said, “The Minister expressed his aspiration to foster a constructive relationship with the Maldives, acknowledging the presence of a vibrant Indian community residing in the Maldives.”

Muizzu had indicated during the election campaign that the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives is among the issues that need to be resolved.

Meanwhile, Kiren Rijiju took to X, formerly Twitter, and cemented the country’s ties with Maldives.

“Conveyed greetings from PM Narendra Modi and reiterated India’s commitment to further strengthen substantive bilateral cooperation and robust people-to-people ties,” Rijiju tweeted.

Muizzu defeated Ibrahim Solih, who was regarded as India-friendly, in a runoff in September. As per reports, the newly elected President had recently said that Maldives was “too small to be entangled in geopolitical rivalry” and that his foreign policy would not include it.

Soon after the oath-taking on Friday, Muizzu had asserted that he was firmly committed to ensuring that his country remains “free” of any “foreign military presence” to preserve its independence and sovereignty. However, he did not name any country in his inaugural address.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, speaking about point on cooperation with Maldives, recently said, ” Over the last five years, more than 500 medical evacuations have been carried out by our personnel, saving 523 Maldivian lives. Of these, 131 evacuations were carried out this year, another 140 last year, and a further 109 in 2021. Similarly, during the last five years, more than 450 multifaceted missions have been carried out to safeguard the maritime security of Maldives.”

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“Look, our cooperation with Maldives is based on jointly addressing shared challenges and priorities,” he added.