EAM Jaishankar, Maldives FM Hold 'Frank' Talks After Call to Withdraw Troops

During a press briefing, the MEA said that India remains “committed” to its partnership with the Maldives.

Just a few days after Muizzu formally asked India to withdraw its military personnel from the island nation by 15 March, Jaishankar met Zameer in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. 

(Photo: X/@DrSJaishankar)

Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer on Thursday, 18 January, on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Movement Summit in Uganda at a time when India-Maldives ties have continued to deteriorate since President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office.

Just a few days after Muizzu formally asked India to withdraw its military personnel from the island nation by 15 March, Jaishankar met Zameer in the Ugandan capital of Kampala and subsequently said, "A frank conversation on IN-MV ties. Also discussed NAM [Non-Aligned Movement]-related issues."

In a post on X, Zameer said that India and Maldives are committed to “further strengthening and expanding our cooperation.”

“We exchanged views on the ongoing high-level discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, as well as expediting the completion of ongoing development projects in the #Maldives, and cooperation within SAARC and NAM,” he added.

Malé and New Delhi had set up a high-level core group back when PM Modi met Muizzu on the sidelines of the COP-28 Summit to negotiate the withdrawal of troops. The group's first meeting took place on 14 January, which saw the presence of the Indian High Commissioner, Diplomats and the Defence Attaché at the Maldives Foreign Affairs Ministry Headquarters in Malé.

During the MEA's weekly press briefing on 18 January, Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "Both sides held discussions on finding mutually workable solutions, so you must look at that, to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives," and added that this is an ongoing discussion which will be continued in the next meeting of the Core Group.

Jaiswal said that India remains “committed” to its partnership with the Maldives, but declined to respond when asked pointedly about the Maldives deadline, repeating that India-Maldives talks around the continued operation of Indian aircrafts was an “ongoing discussion”.

While the Indian readout of the meeting from Sunday said that the two sides worked on "finding a mutually workable solution to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services," the statement from Maldives, additionally stated:

"Both sides expressed willingness to intensify cooperation and agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel."

According to the latest figures, 88 Indian military personnel, two HAL Dhruv helicopters and a Dornier aircraft for humanitarian purposes are present in the Maldives. Indian troops have been stationed in Maldives to train their military in combat and reconnaissance, and rescue-aid operations.