Recall military staff, Maldives President tells Indian Govt

Quite disappointing

Recall military staff, Maldives President tells Indian Govt

A day after he was sworn in as President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu “formally requested” the Indian government to “withdraw its military personnel” from the island nation, his office said in a statement Saturday.

Muizzu sought the Indian withdrawal when Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju, India’s representative at the swearing-in ceremony, called on him.

President Muizzu, his office said, “acknowledged the significant role” of two helicopters – and an aircraft provided by India to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) – “in numerous emergency medical evacuations”.

In fact, the MNDF, in a post on X Saturday evening, said, “A medical evacuation of a 36-year-old female in critical condition was carried out from Th. Atoll Hospital to Male City by MNDF Central Area Command via MNDF Dornier Aircraft today at 17:04 hours.” It also put out a photograph of the medical evacuation.

Confirming that the President, during his meeting with Rijiju, brought up the issue of Indian military personnel present in Maldives for operating aircraft for medical evacuation and counter-drug trafficking purposes, sources in the Indian government said it was “agreed” that the “two governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation” through the use of these platforms as this “serves the interests of the people of Maldives”.

Muizzu came to power riding on the Opposition’s ‘India Out’ campaign, and defeated President Ibu Solih who was viewed as friendly to India. The newly-elected President is seen as a proxy of former President Abdulla Yameen who had been pro-China during his stint between 2013 and 2018.

Sources said President Muizzu “acknowledged the contribution of these Indian helicopters and aircraft for medical evacuation of Maldivian citizens”.

“They are also central to the confidence that international tourists have staying on remote islands. He appreciated their role in monitoring and combating drug trafficking,” the sources said.

In a statement, the Maldives President’s office said, “At the meeting, President Muizzu had formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. The President noted that at the Presidential Election held in September, the Maldivian people had given him a strong mandate to make the request to India and expressed the hope that India will honour the democratic will of the people of the Maldives. While discussing the matter with Minister Kiren Rijiju, President Dr Muizzu also acknowledged the significant role of the two helicopters in providing numerous emergency medical evacuations.”

Last month, Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, while responding to questions on Maldives, said, “Over the last five years, more than 500 medical evacuations have been carried out by our personnel, saving 523 Maldivian lives. Of these, 131 evacuations were carried out this year, another 140 last year, and a further 109 in 2021. Similarly, during the last five years, more than 450 multifaceted missions have been carried out to safeguard the maritime security of Maldives. Of these, 122 missions were carried out last year, while 152 and 124 missions were undertaken in 2021 and 2020 respectively. India has also been the first responder for Maldives in any disaster scenario, including most recently during Covid.”

During their meeting, Muizzu and Rijiju also “reviewed the progress of the implementation of various projects in the Maldives with the support of India. The President emphasised the importance of accelerating the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), highlighted the importance of addressing and overcoming the issues delaying the project,” the Maldives’ President’s office said.

It said Rijiju conveyed his best wishes to the President, representing the sentiments of the Government and the people of India. “The Minister expressed his aspiration to foster a constructive relationship with the Maldives, acknowledging the presence of a vibrant Indian community residing in the Maldives… They concluded the meeting with a renewed commitment to fortify the bilateral relations between the two countries,” the statement said.

Choppy Waters

As Muizzu takes charge, India faces a challenging task of dealing with a government in Male that is viewed as pro-China. India and Maldives have close defence ties, apart from development projects on the island. Delhi has strategic stakes in Maldives’ security and Beijing’s footprint will be closely watched.

Shubhajit Roy – 2023-11-18 19:54

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