India has decided to exit its military from Maldives after a demand from President Mohamed Muizzu, who is more focused on strengthening his country’s ties with China.
Indian troops, who were accompanied by two helicopters and an aircraft, were involved in marine surveillance, search and rescue,e and medical evacuation operations on the island.
The announcement coincided with a visit by Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer to India, the first visit by a senior official since Muizzu took office in November last year. The foreign ministers of Maldives and India met in New Delhi on Thursday. Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar told his Maldives counterpart, Moosa Zameer, that India has proven to be a key provider of development assistance, including medical care, infrastructure projects, and health facilities.
Jaishankar was quoted saying, “It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding on how best we can take our relationship forward,”
Tensions between both countries have grown since Pro-China Muizzu came to power last year. He immediately asked India to take its troops out of the island by 10th May 2024 and decided to replace them with civilians trained for those activities. At least 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives.
Muizzu ran for president on the theme of “India out,” accusing his predecessor of compromising the country’s sovereignty by giving India too much influence. After taking that office, Muizziu visited China and said the small size of the Maldives doesn’t allow India to bully it.
Since coming into power, Muizzu’s government has entered into several agreements with China to boost its economic ties and even sidelined India in several projects.
The Maldives decided to sign a military assistance pact with China in March. Maldives has allowed a Chinese research vessel to dock at its port, right in India’s backyard.
