On Friday, Following a India-Maldives Second Core Meeting in Delhi, Maldivian Government issued a Press Release, stating that India will replace its military personnel, operating one Dornier plane and two helicopters in Male, by May 10.
In a statement, Maldives' foreign ministry said that India will replace its military personnel in the other two platforms by May 10 2024. After the meeting, the Maldivian foreign ministry issued a statement: “Both sides agreed that the Government of India will replace the military personnel in one of the three aviation platforms by 10 March 2024, and will complete replacing military personnel in the other two platforms by 10 May 2024.”
The ministry of external affairs in a press release, stated, "During the meeting, both sides continued their discussions on wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation towards identifying steps to enhance the partnership, including expediting the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects."
The ministry of external affairs added “agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives.”
The Maldivian foreign ministry's statement lacks clarity on whether civilians, possibly even ex-servicemen, will replace the Indian military. Nevertheless, it is evident that the Dornier aircraft and two helicopters, gifted by India, will continue to operate in the Maldives.
The High level Second Core Meeting
During the second meeting of the India-Maldives High-Level Core Group in Delhi on Friday, both sides reached an agreement on a set of mutually workable solutions. This meeting, which included diplomats and military officials from both the nations, focused on enhancing bilateral cooperation and expediting ongoing development projects.
Earlier on January 14, India and the Maldives held the first meeting of the High-Level Core Group in Maldives. The two nations had discussed finding a "mutually workable solution" to continue the operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
The third core group meeting is scheduled for the last week of February in Male, reflecting the commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts.
"It was agreed that the third meeting of the High-Level core Group will be held in Male’ on a mutually agreeable date during the last week of February," the Maldivian Government said.
It was agreed to hold the next meeting of the High Level Core Group in Male on a mutually convenient date," the Indian foreign ministry added.
This core group was established following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Muizzu during the COP28 summit in Dubai in December.
Muizzu asked India to withdraw Military Personnels
Last month, President Muizzu urged India to withdraw its 80 military personnel from the Maldives by March 15. The strained relations between the two nations began when Muizzu, perceived as pro-China, took office in November.
India's presence in the Maldives, primarily for humanitarian missions, faced opposition from Muizzu's 'India Out' campaign during his successful presidential campaign. The deadline for withdrawal follows Muizzu's election campaign of ‘India Out’, to remove Indian military personnel.
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