Maldives media reported that President Mohamed Muizzu has asked the Indian government to withdraw the Indian troops from the island nation before March 15.

India-Maldives Row: India and Maldives have “agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel” from the island nation, according to Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The first meeting of the High-Level Core Group between the Maldives and India took place in Male’ on Sunday.

“During the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, both sides reviewed the existing bilateral cooperation. Discussions were held on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including development cooperation,” the Maldives’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release.

“Both sides expressed willingness to intensify cooperation and agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel,” it also said.

“It was agreed that the second meeting of the High-Level Core Group will be held at a mutually convenient time,” it added.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs said that India and the Maldives discussed finding a mutually workable solution to continue the operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives.

India and Maldives also discussed enhancing bilateral cooperation and expediting the implementation of ongoing projects.

Earlier, Maldives media reported that President Mohamed Muizzu has asked the Indian government to withdraw the Indian troops from the island nation before March 15.

Notably, the removal of Indian troops in the Maldives was the main campaign of Muizzu’s party.

Currently, there are around 70 Indian troops, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, stationed in the Maldives.

On the second day of assuming office, Muizzu officially requested the Indian government to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives.

In December last year, President Muizzu claimed that, after dialogue with the Indian government, an agreement was reached to withdraw Indian military personnel.

‘We are small, but can’t be bullied’

Following his return from five-day visit to China, Muizzu on Saturday took a veiled jab at India, asserting that Maldives may be small but it doesn’t give other countries the license to “bully us”.

“We may be small but this doesn’t give them the license to bully us,” Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-China leader, said without naming any country.

“Though we have small islands in this ocean, we have a vast exclusive economic zone of 900,000 square km. Maldives is one of the countries with the biggest share of this ocean,” he told the media on his arrival from China after concluding the state visit, the first after assuming office in November last year.

“This ocean does not belong to a specific country. This (Indian) Ocean also belongs to all countries situated in it,” he said, in an apparent jibe at India.

“We aren’t in anyone’s backyard. We are an independent and sovereign state,” he was quoted as saying by the Maldives Sun Online portal.

India-Maldives Row

A diplomatic row erupted between India and Maldives after derogatory comments were posted by three deputy ministers of the Muizzu government against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Muizzu suspended the three ministers after their social media postings, which stirred concern in India and calls for a boycott by Indian tourists who ranked highest in numbers followed by Russia. Chinese tourists figured third.

(With inputs from agencies)