All 75 Indian soldiers who were previously stationed in the Maldives have now been brought back to their home country, according to Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon’s statement in today’s Parliament session. It was confirmed that the Indian personnel did not carry weapons during their time in the Maldives.
In response to queries from Parliament members, Minister Ghassan explained that the decision to withdraw the Indian soldiers was made in line with the strong diplomatic ties between the Maldives and India. The presence of the Indian military personnel in the Maldives, spread across three locations, had been a subject of interest during the last presidential election.
Minister Ghassan emphasized that there will be no foreign military presence in the Maldives to protect the country’s sovereignty. The operation of the helicopters and aircraft previously managed by Indian soldiers is now being handled by civilian staff, as per the agreements between the two nations.
While former Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer had disclosed the timelines for the deployment of Indian civilians in the Maldives last year, Minister Ghassan clarified that the agreement remains in place under the framework of bilateral cooperation between Maldives and India.
Despite former promises to train Maldivian military personnel to operate the aircraft donated by India, Minister Ghassan confirmed that no MNDF pilots have been trained for this purpose yet. The withdrawal of Indian troops was a key campaign pledge of President Muizzu.
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