New Delhi: India and the Maldives on Friday reviewed the process of withdrawing Indian military personnel from the Indian Ocean archipelago, which Male has insisted must be completed by May 10.
Both sides held the high-Level Core Group meeting here on Friday. They continued their discussions on wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation. This included defence cooperation, development cooperation projects, efforts to enhance bilateral trade and investment, and capacity-building initiatives.
During the meeting, they also reviewed the ongoing efforts to enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives.
According to the Maldives foreign ministry read out both sides noted with satisfaction that the Indian government will replace military personnel at the last of the three aviation platforms by 10 May and all the logistical arrangements are going ahead as per schedule.
The development comes in the backdrop of the scheduled visit of Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, who is set to visit India, likely on May 9, marking a significant diplomatic engagement between the two countries. This visit will be the first high-level visit by a senior official from the Mohamed Muizzu government to India since the government assumed office in November last year.
The talks are expected to focus on improving ties which have been strained ever since Mohammed Muizzu assumed power. His anti-India stance has soured the ties even more.
The meeting between Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is expected to set the tone for future engagements, and how both sides can work together on several issues, including India's infrastructure development projects in the country.
Zameer's visit also comes ahead of the May 10 deadline set by Maldives for India to withdraw its military troops from the archipelago and replace them with civilians. The foreign minister's visit is expected to strengthen the frosty relations between India and Maldives, which is very much crucial in the face of the growing Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.
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