India completes military withdrawal from Maldives
India has repatriated all its military personnel stationed in the Maldives, ahead of the May 10 deadline set by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu. The President's Office Chief Spokesperson, Heena Waleed, confirmed this development to the Sun.mv news portal. However, the exact number of soldiers stationed in the Maldives will be disclosed at a later date. The Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives to operate and maintain two helicopters and Dornier aircraft, which India had previously gifted.
Why does this story matter?
Tensions have flared between India and the Maldives ever since pro-China Mohamed Muizzu was elected as the president of the archipelagic nation last October. The withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed there to train Maldivian troops in combat, reconnaissance, and rescue-aid operations was one of the key promises of Muizzu's government. Relations hit rock bottom in January after some Maldivian ministers made "derogatory" remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep.
89 Indian soldiers in the Maldives
Official documents cited by the government indicated the presence of 89 Indian soldiers in the Maldives. Last week, the Maldivian government announced that 51 Indian soldiers were repatriated. Before that, the Maldivian government stated that two batches of Indian soldiers had left the nation. However, the exact figure was not disclosed. India agreed to withdraw its forces from the country prior to the May 10 deadline, as stipulated by Muizzu, to prevent any potential conflicts.
Bilateral talks amid military withdrawal
On Thursday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal confirmed that the first and second batches of Indian military personnel had returned to India. "Now the deputation of competent Indian technical personnel has taken place" to operate the three Indian aviation platforms, he said. The complete military withdrawal occurred as Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer met with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday. During their meeting, they had "extensive discussions" on bilateral ties and regional security issues.
