According to Agence France-Presse on February 2, the Maldives said on February 2 that India will withdraw its troops deployed in the Maldives from next month.
According to the report, Ma said that during the talks held in New Delhi, the Indian side agreed to start the evacuation of the 89 personnel stationed there by March 10 and complete the evacuation within two months.
The Indian servicemen stationed there are mainly responsible for the operation of 3 maritime reconnaissance aircraft, 2 *** and one fixed-wing aircraft donated by India.
The Maldives*** statement said the two sides had "reconsidered" cooperation between the two countries and looked forward to "strengthening" partnerships in defense, security and other areas.
However, a statement from India did not mention the "withdrawal of troops", but the same wording as the previous statement, saying that the two sides had agreed on a mutually feasible solution "to enable the Indian aviation platform to continue to operate and provide humanitarian and medical services to the people of the Maldives". "During the meeting, the parties continued to discuss a wide range of issues related to bilateral cooperation in order to identify steps to strengthen the partnership, including accelerating the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects. So reads the statement of India.
Maldives ** Mohammed Moiz Source: Associated Press.
Unlike his predecessor, Saleh, who pursued a "pro-India" policy, Moiz Moiz, who was elected and subsequently came to power in the Maldives, sought to curb India's influence in the Maldives, following a policy of "pro-India". During the election campaign, he called India's enormous influence a threat to the sovereignty of the Maldives and promised to demand the withdrawal of Indian troops.
On November 18 last year, the day after Mouiz officially took office, the Maldives** formally demanded that India withdraw its troops. It is reported that Muiz made this request at a meeting with representatives of the Indian side who attended his inauguration ceremony. Since then, Muiz has also made it clear at a press conference that India must withdraw all Indian military personnel deployed in the Maldives by March 15.
The Associated Press mentioned that the Maldives has long been closely associated with India, with many of its citizens traveling to India for medical care and education, and most of the country's staple foods and medicines are imported from India. Last year, India was the largest visitor** country in the Maldives, accounting for 11%, followed by Russia and China. Indian media said that India believes that the Maldives is within its sphere of influence in the Indian Ocean, but the latter is trying to get rid of Indian influence.
*丨Refer to the news, observer.com.