Military troops in Maldives to be replaced by ‘Indian technical personnel’: MEA

This comes days after India and Maldives held their second high-level meeting in New Delhi.

The Maldives, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, has historically had close ties with India due to their geographical proximity and cultural connections. However, tensions have been brewing after the formation of pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu’s government. This led to strains in the India-Maldives relationship as Muizzu earlier urged India to take its around 80 military personnel out of the island nation.

Speaking over the outcome of the meeting held between both sides in New Delhi, Maldives, in a statement claimed that the two sides agreed to replace Indian military personnel in one of the three aviation platforms by March 10 and the others by May 10, media reports said.

Moreover, responding to reports on India’s budget estimates for the Maldives, MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said that the numbers may be revised. He affirmed that India continues to remain Maldives’ “important” and “committed development partner.”