Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, who is often seen as having strong ties with China, has aimed to reduce the Maldives’ reliance on India in key sectors.
India announced on Thursday that it would be replacing military personnel stationed in the Maldives with “competent Indian technical personnel” to manage two helicopters and an aircraft utilized for medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.
The decision comes amid discussions between the two nations regarding the withdrawal of over 75 Indian military personnel from the Maldives, following a request from Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu to have them removed by March 15.
Following the second meeting of a high-level core group set up by both parties to tackle the matter, India announced on February 2 that they had achieved agreements on “mutually feasible solutions” for operating the three aircraft. The Maldivian foreign ministry announced that India would replace military personnel for one aircraft by March 10 and complete the replacement of all personnel by May 10.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal mentioned during a regular media briefing that the current personnel would be substituted with capable Indian technical personnel, without elaborating further.
A third meeting of the high-level core group is planned for the future, Jaiswal added.
Sources familiar with the matter disclosed that India is exploring various options to replace the military personnel currently deployed in the Maldives by operating two ALH helicopters and a Dornier aircraft provided by New Delhi. One possibility is replacing military personnel with civilian operators familiar with the platforms, including retired personnel from the three services with experience in flying and maintaining the aircraft.
President Muizzu, known for his close ties with China, has been seeking to reduce the Maldives’ dependence on India in vital sectors such as food security and defence since winning last year’s presidential election. In addition to finalizing arrangements with Sri Lanka for medical evacuation services, Muizzu’s administration has inked agreements with Turkey for wheat procurement and drones for maritime surveillance.
Want to know more? https://trendsonchai.com/maldivian-president-mohamed-muizzu/
Despite these developments, Jaiswal emphasized that India remains committed to its development partnership with the Maldives. He highlighted that the budgetary allocation for the Maldives in the outlay for the external affairs ministry in the 2024–25 budget was ₹779 crore, up from the earlier projection of ₹600 crore.
“We remain an important, committed development partner for the Maldives,” Jaiswal affirmed.
Under India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy, the Maldives has been a significant beneficiary, with New Delhi investing billions of dollars in development and infrastructure projects in the archipelago, including grants and soft loans.
I will repeat India’s stance:
India wants to be friends with its neighbours and promises not to interfere in their business. The main goal is to have peace and respect and work together for development in the South Asian region.
India is also focused on keeping the Indian Ocean safe and secure. Especially for countries like the Maldives, India wants to help with their overall progress. By making sure the ocean is stable and supporting sustainable growth, India aims to create a peaceful and prosperous region.
In short, India’s foreign policy is all about being good neighbours, respecting each other’s space, and working together for a safer and better future in the South Asian region.
Let us know your thoughts.
[…] initiated the ‘India Out’ campaign, aiming to antagonize India by planning to remove Indian soldiers from the country. By May 10, these soldiers will be replaced by qualified technical staff from […]