Dr Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected president of the Maldives, has asked India to withdraw its military forces from the country. A notification issued by the president’s office stated that this request was formally made to Indian Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, who visited the country to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new president.
President Mohamed Muizzu’s posted, “The Government of Maldives has formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu formally made the request when he met the Minister of Earth Sciences of India, H.E. Mr. Kiren Rijiju, at the President’s Office earlier today,” on 18 November.
Responding to the development, Indian officials said that both countries will try to find a”workable solution”.
The development comes after the president had declared that he would expunge foreign military forces from the nation and reiterated his support for the withdrawal of a tiny Indian force from the Indian Ocean archipelago, which is a region where China and India compete for influence. The 45-year-old leader is the ninth president of the strategically placed island nation in the Indian Ocean.
In his first speech after becoming the president, he said that all foreign military will be expelled, without naming any country. “The country will not have any foreign military personnel in the Maldives,” Mohamed Muizzu said after being sworn in before Chief Justice Ahmed Adnan at a televised, open-air ceremony.
He is viewed as being more pro-China than his predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who had pushed for deeper ties with India. The premier stated that he would pursue trade with both countries at his inauguration on 17 November. “Lines of independence and sovereignty will be drawn clearly. The foreign military presence will be removed. I will keep friendships with foreign countries. There won’t be any enmity with countries close and far away.”
Major regional players India and China have both aimed to establish more sway over the island nation. Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate Solih was defeated in September by Mizzu who is from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). The latter ran on a platform of pledging closer economic connections with China and criticised his opponent’s trade policy as being biased in favour of India.
The relations of Maldives with India continue to be cordial as Muizzu declared that he would seek to balance the nation’s economic ties with both India and China. Earlier this week, he had said that he did not intend to replace the Indian military with Chinese military. High-ranking delegates from China and India were present for Muizzu’s inauguration.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed that his nation “remains committed to strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship” following the election. Notably, there are reportedly 75 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives, which is a cluster of about 521,000 islands.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju met with Muizzu on 18 November one day after attending his inaugural ceremony. During their meeting, he reaffirmed India’s commitment to advancing substantive bilateral cooperation and strong people-to-people ties. He represented the country at the inaugural event, highlighting the nation’s “Neighbourhood First Policy.”
Privileged to call on President H.E. Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 18, 2023
Conveyed greetings from Hon’ble PM @NarendraModi and reiterated India’s commitment to further strengthen the substantive bilateral cooperation and robust people-to-people ties. pic.twitter.com/nFa95QD9ES
Rijiju also went to the site of a project of 4,000 social housing units at Hulhumale in the Maldives where their government is working with NBCC (India) Limited, formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation, a private Indian company and India’s Exim Bank, an infra-construction company under the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs to provide inclusive and affordable housing for everyone.
Visited 4000 Social Housing Units Project at Hulhumale’ in Maldives.
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 18, 2023
Happy to see @IndiaEximBank along with @OfficialNBCC & @KPILOfficial partnering with @governmentmv in its efforts to provide affordable and inclusive housing for all. pic.twitter.com/FnG9id5bVb
He had earlier, late on 17 November night, attended the inaugural reception for the visiting dignitaries at Kurumba Maldives, which was thrown by President Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed following the oath-taking ceremony.
Thanks to H.E. President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu @MMuizzu for hosting an official banquet for the dignitaries and provided us a glimpse of the famed Maldivian hospitality. pic.twitter.com/PHzbMKd4Jf
— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) November 18, 2023
The Maldives holds a significant position in the Prime Minister’s vision of “SAGAR” (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the “Neighbourhood First Policy,” which makes it India’s principal maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It is strategically important to India because of its close proximity to the country’s west coast (only 70 nautical miles separate Minicoy from India’s west coast and 300 nautical miles from India’s west coast) and its position at the intersection of major commercial sea lanes that cross the Indian Ocean.
