2024-02-13 00:46:16
The soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces will be withdrawn from the Maldives in two phases: the first will be carried out by March 10, and the second by May 10. This was announced by the President of the Maldives, Mohamed Muizzou, in his address to the parliament.
“We have officially appealed to India to withdraw its troops stationed in the Maldives. According to the latest discussions, part of the military will be withdrawn by March 10, 2024, others by May 10, 2024,” Muizzoui was quoted as saying by the local edition newspaper.
“Maldives residents expect that their authorities will remove the foreign military from the country and will not allow any interstate agreement that could endanger our sovereignty,” the President of the Maldives said about the expectations of the population.
Relations between India and the Maldives have been experiencing a cooling period since President Muizzoo, who is considered pro-China, announced the need to withdraw Indian troops from the island after taking office.
At present, around 80 Indian military personnel are stationed in the Maldives.