New Delhi, 18 Nov: India and the Maldives on Saturday agreed to discuss \u201cworkable solutions\u201d to continue use of Indian military platforms by the island nation as such a corporation serves interests of Maldivian people, sources said after a meeting between Union minister Kiren Rijiju and new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in Male.
\nRijiju called on Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, at his office, a day after attending the Maldivian leader\u2019s inauguration ceremony.
\nA statement released by the Maldivian president\u2019s office said Muizzu \u201cformally requested the government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives\u201d in the meeting.
\nMuizzu has maintained that he will keep his election promise of evicting Indian military personnel from his country.
\n\u201cAt the meeting, President Muizzu had formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives,\u201d the statement said.
\n\u201cThe 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 will honour the democratic will of the people of the Maldives,\u201d it added.
\nThe Indian government sources said Muizzu, in the meeting, brought up the issue of Indian military personnel present in the Maldives for operating aircraft for medical evacuation and to counter drug trafficking.
\nThe president acknowledged the contribution of the Indian helicopters and aircraft for medical evacuation of Maldivian citizens, they said.
\n\u201cThey are also central to the confidence that international tourists have in staying in remote islands. He appreciated their role in monitoring and combating drug trafficking,\u201d said a source.
\n\u201cIt was agreed that the two governments would discuss workable solutions for continued cooperation through the use of these platforms as this serves the interests of the people of the Maldives,\u201d it said.
\nThe Maldives is one of India\u2019s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall bilateral ties including in areas of defence and security have been on an upward trajectory under the government of Ibrahim Solih.
\nMuizzu defeated Solih in the presidential runoff in September.
\nIn its statement, the Maldivian president\u2019s office said Rijiju conveyed his best wishes to Muizzu, representing the sentiments of the government and the people of India.
\n\u201cThe minister expressed his aspiration to foster a constructive relationship with the Maldives, acknowledging the presence of a vibrant Indian community residing in the Maldives,\u201d it said.
\n\u201cAt the meeting, President Muizzu had formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives,\u201d it said.
\n\u201cThe 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 will honour the democratic will of the people of the Maldives,\u201d it said.
\nThe readout said while discussing the matter with Rijiju, Muizzu also acknowledged the significant role of the two helicopters in providing numerous emergency medical evacuations.
\nIt said Muizzu and Rijiju also reviewed the progress of the implementation of various projects in the Maldives with the support of India.
\n\u201cThe President emphasised the importance of accelerating the Greater Male\u2019 Connectivity Project (GMCP), highlighting the importance of addressing and overcoming the issues delaying the project,\u201d it said. (PTI)
\nIt said Muizzu and Rijiju concluded the meeting with a renewed commitment to \u201cfortify\u201d the bilateral relations between the two countries. PTI<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
New Delhi, 18 Nov: India and the Maldives on Saturday agreed to discuss \u201cworkable solutions\u201d to continue use of Indian military platforms by the island nation as such a corporation serves interests of Maldivian people, sources said after a meeting between Union minister Kiren Rijiju and new Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu in Male. Rijiju called […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-228762","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228762\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}