Maldives demanded that India withdraw its troops from the country
Maldives demanded that India withdraw its troops from the country by March 15.
The Maldives has demanded that India withdraw its troops from the country by March 15.
Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the secretary of state policy of the country's president, Muhammad Muizzou, announced at a press conference that Maldivian and Indian officials are negotiating the withdrawal of Indian troops from the capital, Male.
Noting that 88 Indian soldiers in the Maldives must leave the country by March 15, Ibrahim said that the Indian military cannot stay in the Maldives, which is the position of President Mohammad Muizzou and this administration.
"Maldives may be small. But that does not give any country the right to disrespect us," said President Muizzou at a press conference held on Saturday after his 5-day visit to China.
The President emphasized that the Maldives is not the backyard of any country and added, "We are an independent and sovereign country."
Muizzu, who was the mayor of Male, won the presidential election on September 30, 2023 with 54.06 percent of the vote, beating incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Saleh.
Muizzu was seen as a "pro-China" candidate, while his opponent Salih was considered "pro-India".
The newly elected president announced during the election campaign that he would put an end to the country's traditional foreign policy, which prioritized relations with India, and demanded that India withdraw its military personnel and equipment from the country as soon as he took office.
On January 4, the country's president, Muhammad Muizzu, made his first state visit after being elected to the presidency, not to Hedistan, but to China, according to tradition.
Earlier, on January 7, three employees of the Maldivian Ministry of Youth Policy called India and its prime minister a "joker" and "puppet of Israel" on their social media pages, which caused heated discussions in India. Despite these layoffs, EaseMyTrip, India's second-largest travel platform, has stopped booking Maldives hotels. On social media, more than 8,000 Indian tourists canceled their plans to visit the islands.
