New Delhi: India and the Maldives on Sunday reviewed the process for replacing Indian military personnel who operate three aviation platforms in the Indian Ocean archipelago, with authorities in Male saying the second batch of personnel will be withdrawn by April 10.
The Indian side has begun replacing its military personnel with civilian technical staff following a demand by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu to withdraw all Indian military personnel from the country. Military personnel responsible for operating and maintaining one helicopter were withdrawn earlier this month.
The process for replacing the military personnel with civilian technical staff was reviewed during the third meeting of a bilateral high-level core group at the foreign ministry in Male on Sunday. The Indian technical staff are being deputed to enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms - two helicopters and an aircraft - that provide humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of Maldives, the external affairs ministry said in a readout.
A statement from the Maldivian foreign ministry said military personnel responsible for one aviation platform had been replaced with civilians, and personnel for the remaining two platforms will be replaced on April 10 and May 10.
{{/usCountry}}A statement from the Maldivian foreign ministry said military personnel responsible for one aviation platform had been replaced with civilians, and personnel for the remaining two platforms will be replaced on April 10 and May 10.
{{/usCountry}}Muizzu, who has taken several steps to bring the Maldives closer to China, had earlier demanded that all Indian military personnel should be withdrawn by March 15. More than 80 Indian military personnel, including pilots and maintenance crews, were deployed in the Maldives.
The two sides reached a compromise during an earlier meeting of the core group and agreed to withdraw the military personnel in batches by May 10.
During Sunday’s meeting of the core group, the two sides also discussed wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation, including expediting work on India-backed development projects in the Maldives through regular convening of joint monitoring mechanisms.
They also discussed efforts to boost bilateral trade and investment and enhance people-to-people links through capacity building and travel, the external affairs ministry’s readout said.
Both sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the core group in New Delhi on a mutually convenient date.
The Muizzu government has finalised arrangements with Sri Lanka for medical evacuation services as part of its efforts to reduce its dependence on India. It has also inked an agreement with China to get free non-lethal military equipment and training.
This is the first time the Maldives, which has usually depended on India for military hardware, has signed such a pact with China. Muizzu said the defence agreement with China will ensure the “autonomy and independence” of the Maldives.
On Friday, Muizzu launched the Maldives National Defence Force’s new Air Corps, which will use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) acquired from Turkiye to conduct surveillance of its territorial waters. Speaking on the occasion, Muizzu said the Maldives received three UAVs, largely through grant aid from Türkiye, and hoped to increase the number.