- Amid tensions with India, Maldivian Foreign Minister Musa Zamir will visit India
- Tomorrow he Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar will get
- India will withdraw its military personnel from Maldives by May 10, 2024
Taking an official statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, several media reports also stated that Maldives is an important maritime partner of India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). In such a situation, it is expected that Minister Musa Zamir’s foreign visit will further promote bilateral cooperation between the two countries. This is Musa Zamir’s first official visit to India after taking charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The visit of the Foreign Minister of Maldives is important
The Maldivian foreign minister is coming to India at a time when India has said it will withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives before May 10, 2024. However, the island nation’s (Maldives government) comments come ahead of the May 10 deadline set by President Mohamed Muizu (who is considered pro-China) for the complete withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives. The government there said on Tuesday (May 7, 2024) that India has so far recalled 51 troops from there.
How many Indian soldiers have returned from Maldives so far?
The Maldives government had earlier announced that Indian troops had left the country in two batches. However, clear data details have not been provided in this regard. The Chief Spokesperson of the President’s Office, Heena Waleed, while responding to the questions asked on this issue, said on Monday that a total of 51 Indian soldiers have been sent back so far. News portal ‘Edition.mv’ quoted Heena Waleed as saying that, currently, all Indian military personnel in the country will be withdrawn from Maldives by May 10. So far, 51 soldiers deployed on two platforms have been sent back. As per the previous announcement by the Maldives government, there are 88 Indian soldiers deployed in the country along with two helicopters, one Dornier aircraft and Senahia Military Hospital.
There is an agreement on the recall of Indian soldiers
India has already recalled some military personnel operating three aviation platforms in the Maldives. These military personnel have been replaced by civilian technical experts from India. The two countries have earlier agreed to withdraw the remaining Indian troops by May 10, 2024. In this context, the fourth meeting of the Bilateral High Level Core Group of the two sides was held in New Delhi on May 3.
