Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Monday informed the country’s Parliament that the first group of Indian troops will move out of the nation before March 10.
“Diplomatic discussions with other nations that the President can conduct are ongoing. We have officially requested India to remove its troops stationed in the Maldives. Deliberations on this issue are ongoing,” Muizzu was quoted as saying by The Edition.
“As per the most recent discussions, military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms will be recalled before March 10, 2024. The military personnel on the remaining two platforms will also be recalled by May 10, 2024,” he said.
He made the announcement amid the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Maldives.
India-Maldives diplomatic row
A diplomatic row erupted between India and Maldives after certain Maldivian politicians, including ministers, made disparaging remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shortly after his visit to India’s Lakshadweep Islands.
The ministers opened a verbal attack, saying that it was an attempt to divert tourists from the island country.
After India raised the issue with the Maldives, three ministers were removed from their positions on January 7.
On the following day, the Maldivian representative to India was summoned to the External Affairs Ministry, where strong reservations were conveyed over derogatory social media posts targeting PM Modi.
The comments made by Maldives’ ministers have stirred discontent among Indians, leading to the cancellation of their scheduled vacations to the island nation.