Maldives, India discuss troop withdrawal

Male and New Delhi on Sunday discussed the withdrawal of Indian military personnel in the Maldives by March 15, according to the Maldives Foreign Ministry.

The first meeting of the High-Level Core Group between the South Asian neighbors was held in Male. "Both sides expressed willingness to intensify cooperation and agreed to expedite the withdrawal of Indian military personnel," the ministry said.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has officially asked India to withdraw its military personnel stationed in the island nation by March 15, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the public policy secretary at the Maldivian President's Office, announced in a news conference on Sunday.

Muizzu said on Saturday that the Maldives is not in any country's backyard and that the Indian Ocean does not belong to a single country.

"We may be small but that doesn't give you the license to bully us," Muizzu concluded in English, having made his statement in the native Dhivehi language.

There are 88 Indian military personnel based in Maldives under various military agreements, recent figures from the Maldivian government showed.

India and the Maldives have a traditionally strong relationship built on mutual strategic interests in the Indian Ocean region, Reuters reported. India says it maintains a military presence in the Maldives to provide assistance with services such as surveillance, search and rescue.

India has agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Maldives, said local media. During a meeting at the Maldivian Foreign Ministry, Indian Ambassador Munu Mahawar, along with a team from India, took part in key discussions. Maldives Ambassador to India Ibrahim Shaheeb also attended the meeting.

Discussions were also held on matters of interest to both countries, such as mutual collaboration, and "prospective steps needed to be taken in order to further strengthen ties between Maldives and India", reported news outlet The Edition.

The core group was set up following a meeting between Muizzu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 United Nations climate change conference, which was held from Nov 30 to Dec 12 in Dubai.

Soon after coming into office following the general elections last year, Muizzu made an official request to India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives, which is based on the promise he made during his presidential campaign, reported SunOnline International, a local news outlet.

On Saturday, at a news event, Muizzu also said he would not allow any external influence in his country’s internal affairs. He added that no country has the right to exert influence over the domestic affairs of a country, regardless of its size.

Agencies via Xinhua contributed to this story.