India will “replace” its military personnel in the Maldives in two phases by May 10, the Government of Maldives has stated after the second meeting of the high-level core group between the two sides that was held here on Friday.
The decision came in the backdrop of Malé‘s demand to end the presence of Indian military personnel in the archipelago nation, which was further complicated because of social media controversy over remarks by three ministers of the Mohamed Muizzu government that were found to be disrespectful of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Both sides agreed that the Government of India will replace the military personnel in one of the three aviation platform(s) by 10 March 2024, and will complete replacing military personnel in the other two platforms by 10 May, 2024,” a statement issued by the Maldivian side announced. The statement, however, did not clarify if the military personnel of India will be replaced by civilian operators or by another batch of armed forces personnel.
A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the two sides had “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 side reiterated that the two countries will continue cooperation in the fields of defence and security.
The development came a day after the revised Indian budget estimates for 2023-’24 gave Maldives a bigger financial allocation than it was previously granted in the current financial year. The revised budget estimate for Maldives stands at ₹770.90 crore over the previous grant of ₹400 crore.
This allocation has created a buzz over India fast-pedalling development projects in the backdrop of bilateral tension. This focus was visible in the Indian statement that emphasised on “expediting the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects.”
However, even as the issue of Indian military personnel drag on, a new controversy began on Maldivian social media this week over a video showing purportedly Indian Coast Guard (ICG) personnel boarding Maldivian fishing vessels within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Maldives.
