On Saturday, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu formally appealed to the Indian government to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives during a meeting with Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju. The request was made after Rijiju attended Muizzu’s swearing-in ceremony on Friday and paid a courtesy call to the Maldives President at the President’s Office.
Maldives President’s Office stated, “At the meeting, President Muizzu had formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. The President noted that at the Presidential Election held in September, the Maldivian people had given him a strong mandate to make the request to India and expressed the hope that India would honor the democratic will of the people of the Maldives.”
“While discussing the matter with Minister Kiren Rijiju, President Dr Muizzu also acknowledged the significant role of the two helicopters in providing numerous emergency medical evacuations,” the statement added.
Minister Rijiju extended his best wishes to the President, conveying the sentiments of both the Government and the people of India.
President Muizzu and Minister Kiren Rijiju additionally discussed the advancement of several projects in the Maldives that receive support from India. The President underscored the significance of expediting the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP) and emphasized the need to address and overcome any issues that are impeding the progress of the project.
While in the Maldives, Rijiju visited the 4,000 Social Housing Units Project at Hulhumale’. He also inspected the ongoing developments related to the Greater Male Connectivity project, which is being constructed with the assistance of the Government of India’s concessional Line of Credit and Grant. India has emphasized that its collaboration with the Maldives is grounded in addressing mutual challenges and priorities together.
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