Male, Maldives:
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has further intensified his anti-India rhetoric and confirmed that no Indian military personnel, even those in civilian clothes, will be present in his country after May 10, a media report said today.
President Muizzu's statement comes less than a week after an Indian civilian team reached the Maldives to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms on the island, well ahead of the March 10 deadline agreed by the two countries for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel. .
In his address to the Baa Atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour of the atoll, the President stated that due to his government's success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people spreading false rumors are trying to distort the situation, a news portal Edition.mv reported.
'That these people [Indian military] not leave, that they return after changing their uniform into civilian clothes. We should not indulge in such thoughts that sow doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” the portal quoted Mr Muizzu, who is widely regarded as a Chinese-backed leader, as saying.
“There will be no Indian troops in the country on May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothes. The Indian Army will not be in this country in any form of dress. I say this with confidence,” he said. a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.
Earlier last month, following a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and that the first phase of the process would take place. be ready on March 10.
In his first speech to Parliament on February 5, he made similar comments.
There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives in recent years, using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.
Mr Muizzu came to power last year on an anti-India stance, demanding within hours of taking oath that India remove its staff from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
Edition.mv further reported that while the first troops to leave the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present at Haa Dhaalu Atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu Atoll Kahdhoo are expected will also leave before May 10.
India had agreed to remove its troops from the Maldives on the condition that a number of its citizens, equivalent to the military presence, would be deployed to fly the aircraft.
The opposition has criticized the government, claiming that the Indian personnel sent to the Maldives as civilians are actually military officials without uniforms and that the government has no way of determining otherwise, the portal claimed.
Meanwhile, local media also reported that Maldives successfully linked with Sri Lanka last week to operate medical evacuation flights, further indicating the country's determination to remove all Indian troops in any category.
Further emphasizing that securing true independence is a concept he considers of the highest priority, the President noted that the State is committed with due interest “to regain the southern maritime area deprived of land, in addition to expelling of Indian troops from Maldives.”
“I am confident that we can achieve this. The delay in completing this task is due to the unfavorable procedures adopted during implementation. It was done without even presenting the matter to parliament… and that was also against the Constitution,” the spokesperson said. portal quoted the president as saying.
The proximity of the Maldives to India, barely 70 nautical miles from Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the west coast of the mainland, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes passing through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) it has an important meaning. strategic importance.
The Maldives has been India's most important maritime neighbor within the IOR and occupies a special place in initiatives such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighborhood First Policy.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)