India has agreed to the new Maldives government’s request to withdraw about 75 Indian military personnel stationed on the islands to work on humanitarian operations, Maldives President Mohammad Muizzu claimed on Sunday, two days after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai. The move, that was demanded by Mr. Muizzu during his “India Out” election campaign slogan will come as a disappointment for New Delhi, that has been urging the Maldives to look at the utility of Indian personnel in the Maldives in the “proper perspective”.
“The Indian government has assured the people of Maldives that it will respect their decision regarding the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives,” the Maldives President’s office wrote in a tweet, quoting from Mr. Muizzu’s press conference earlier in the day after he returned from the UAE. Government sources on Sunday countered Mr. Muizzu’s claim, saying that the discussions were still “ongoing”, and that the “core group” announced after the Modi-Muizzu meeting would look into all aspects of whether the 75 Indian naval personnel currently working on Indian projects in the Maldives should stay or not.
