Maldivian Foreign Minister (FM) Moosa Zameer renewed his country’s call for Indian troop withdrawal in a meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Thursday.
The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 19th Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) Summit in Kampala, Uganda.
Discussions on Withdrawal of Indian Troops
Jaishankar said on X that he had a “frank conversation” with Zameer about bilateral ties and discussed NAM-related issues as well.
Meanwhile, the Maldivian FM expressed pleasure at his meeting with Jaishankar and said that the two leaders “exchanged views on the ongoing high-level discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.”
STORY | In Uganda, Jaishankar holds bilateral meetings with counterparts from Egypt, Maldives, Angola & Belarus
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During a Core Group meeting held on 14 January, Maldives gave 15 March as the deadline for India to completely withdraw its military personnel from Maldivian soil.
The two leaders also discussed expediting the completion of the ongoing development projects in the archipelagic nation.
“We are committed to further strengthening and expanding our cooperation,” Zameer said.
India Committed to Projects in Maldives
During his weekly media briefing on Thursday, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned that India and the Maldives held a meeting of the Core Group on 14 January.
He revealed that during the meeting, detailed discussions were held on several aspects of the bilateral relationship, adding that the two sides discussed identifying feasible options that would permit Indian aircraft platforms to continue offering medical evacuation and humanitarian aid to the Maldivian populace.
Jaiswal reaffirmed India’s commitment to its projects in Maldives and said that his country would take them forward.
“We have been an important development partner of the Maldives. We remain committed to doing all that we can as a development partner of the Maldives, in keeping with their priorities,” he underlined.
Maldivian foreign minister meets EAM Jaishankar, exchanges views on withdrawal of Indian military personnel
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Additionally, he clarified that, as the Indian troop withdrawl is an ongoing discussion, things will be further hashed out in the next meeting of the Core Group, which is to be held in India.
India-Maldives Ties
Ever since the election of pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu, ties between India and the Maldives have taken a hit.
Muizzu came to power based on the “India Out” campaign, promising that he would expel Indian military presence from the country.
As per the latest reports, 88 Indian soldiers are stationed in Maldives.
While India has maintained that the troops are present for the technical upkeep of the Dornier aircraft and two helicopters given to the country by India, Muizzu’s party alleges that this violates the country’s sovereignty.
Amid deteriorating ties, the two countries recently got embroiled in a spat after three of Muizzu’s deputy ministers made racist comments about Indian PM Narendra Modi and Indian culture.
Additionally, under Muizzu, Maldives is withdrawing from several agreements signed during former President Ibrahim Solih’s government, including the Hydrographic Survey Agreement.
The country has also signed a $37 million deal with Turkey to purchase drones to patrol its high seas, a task that was earlier performed by India along with the Maldivian National Defence Force (MDNF).