The March 15 deadline was proposed by the Maldives delegation during the first meeting between Indian and Maldivian government officials in Male on Sunday, local media reported, citing senior officials in Muizu’s office. .
The official statement issued by the two countries after the meeting did not mention a deadline, but the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “Both countries expressed their desire to strengthen cooperation and agreed to expedite the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.” .
An Indian statement said the two countries were seeking “a mutually viable solution that will enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms providing humanitarian and relief services to the people of the Maldives.”
The development marks a new low in relations between India and the Maldives after decades of close cooperation. In 1988, the Indian military thwarted a coup attempt in the Maldives and rescued the then president in one of the most famous operations in Indian military history.
The small country of just over 500,000 people is now the latest stage in a geopolitical rivalry between two Asian powers, India and China, who have been vying for influence over the island nation of Sri Lanka.
During his election campaign, Muiz vowed to eliminate the Indian military. Breaking from tradition, he visited China on January 8th as his first state guest. Historically, all democratically elected presidents of the Maldives have chosen India for their first official overseas visit in recognition of the close ties between the two countries. India is our second largest trading partner and the largest source of foreign tourists to our many beautiful islands.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday during Muizu’s visit, China extended its support to the Maldives “upholding national sovereignty, independence and national dignity.” About 20 agreements were signed between the two countries in five days, and the visit heightened concerns in India about Muiz’s perceived leanings toward China.
India’s military presence in the Maldives was also a source of controversy between the two countries in 2018. However, tensions dissipated due to a change in the Maldives leadership at the time.
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Saturday downplayed tensions between the two countries and blamed domestic politics for the prevailing anti-India sentiment in the Maldives.
“Indian people generally have good feelings about India and understand the importance of good relations,” he says.
Diplomatic tensions are fueled by social media. Last week, Indian nationalist social media accounts called for a boycott of the Maldives as a tourist destination after three deputy ministers in Muiz’s government made derogatory comments about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on X (formerly Twitter). called out. At least one Indian travel company has suspended bookings to the Maldives following the controversy.
“We have always put the country before the business,” Prashant Pitti, co-founder of India’s online travel booking company EaseMyTrip, said in a television interview. “This is a proxy war between India and China. Those derogatory comments were part of it.”
The Maldives government immediately suspended the three ministers and distanced themselves from their comments. But on social media, several prominent Indians continued to call for a boycott, using the hashtag #ExploreIndianIslands to urge fellow Indians to visit Lakshadweep and other Indian islands instead.
The controversy prompted Muiz to speak out against attempts to “bully” his country without naming India.
Gerry Shih contributed to this report.