Maldives will work to return Indian military personnel from its shores “as soon as possible,” president-elect Mohamed Muizzu said.
Muizzu insisted that it was the top foreign policy priority for country after he won the Maldives’ presidential election last month, beating incumbent president Ibrahim Solih in a second-round runoff. Mohamed Muizzu will take office on November 17. Returning Indian military was a core policy of his election campaign.
“The focus is not on the actual number of military personnel here; it is on not having any at all in the Maldives. We will discuss with the Indian government and find out a way forward for this”. The people have told us that they don’t want foreign military here, he had said.
Pro Chinese Government
Mohamed Muizzu has widely been seen as pro-Chinese. After his victory in the polls, China’s foreign ministry said that the country “respects the choice of the Maldivian people and congratulates President-elect Mohamed Muizzu”. “China is willing to work with the Maldives to consolidate the traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and push for continuous new progress,” the ministry said.
India Maldives Exercise
The 12th edition of joint military exercise “Ex Ekuverin” between the Indian Army & the Maldives National Defence Force has commenced at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand from 11 to 24 June 2023. Ekuverin meaning ‘Friends’ is a bilateral annual exercise conducted alternatively in India and Maldives.
