Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu asks India to remove military personnel by March 15

India has been set a deadline by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu to remove its soldiers from the island nation. The president of the Maldives declared that the Indian military soldiers must depart the country by March 15. The event occurred just a few days after Mohamed Muizzu’s first state visit to China following his election, during which he met Xi Jinping.

The Maldives and China recently strengthened their diplomatic ties, after remarks made by Maldivian ministers disparaging Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his visit to the Lakshadweep islands. The three ministers were removed and the Maldivian Opposition denounced the comments, but the President replied “We may be small but no one has the license to bully us”.

The deadline was set by the president of the Maldives, who only said that the country “has to ensure that there is no presence of a foreign military on their soil” and demanded the removal of Indian troops about two months ago. The “India Out” movement helped the current president of the Maldives win election. One of Muizzu’s main electoral promises was the evacuation of Indian forces from the Maldives.

A high-level core group has been established by India and the Maldives to negotiate the troop withdrawal. On Sunday morning, the group met for the first time at the Foreign Ministry Headquarters in Male. According to the report, Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar was also present at the meeting.

These employees fly surveillance aircraft and operate radars sponsored by India. The region’s Indian warships assist in policing the nation’s exclusive economic zone. The Maldives, despite its tiny size, is an important toll gate in the Indian Ocean and plays a major role in regional affairs, especially because of the important marine passageways in its northern and southern regions.

The important contribution that two Indian helicopters, the Dhruv, played in multiple emergency medical evacuations was already acknowledged by President Muizzu. For a number of years, this tiny contingent of Indian soldiers has been stationed in the Maldives.

India and the Maldives’ partnership, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, is predicated on working together to meet common goals and issues.

According to the government, India’s platforms and aid have made a substantial difference in the island nation’s public welfare, humanitarian relief, disaster relief, and fight against illicit maritime operations.

It is not an abrupt change from the “India First” to “India Out” policies of Ibrahim Solih, the President before to Muizzu. Ibrahim Solih’s predecessor, Abdullah Yameen, is claimed to be the first Maldivian leader who initiated the campaign against India in 2013 and pulled the island nation’s ties closer to China. Friendly relations were maintained between India and his successor, Ibrahim Solih, from 2018 to 2023. During Abdullah Yameen’s administration, social media and Dhiyares News from the Maldives are seen to have played a key role in shaping the narrative against India.

Abdulla Yameen was forbidden from contesting the election because of a criminal record and an 11-year jail term for corruption, he nominated Muizzu.

As previously stated, Muizzu had no intention of upending the balance of power in the region by substituting Chinese forces for the Indian military. The Maldives President is striving to maintain a precise balance in its ties with India and China. Beijing is the Maldives’ biggest external borrower and has economic interests in the country, but worries about the island nation falling victim to China’s debt trap policy are warranted.

(With agency inputs)