India to withdraw all troops from Maldives by May 10

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry of the Maldives said that the Government of India will replace the military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms by March 10 and complete the withdrawal of all troops by May 10.

The statement came following Male's demand for the withdrawal of Indian troops from the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Last month, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu requested that India withdraw all its military personnel from the Maldives by March 15.

Currently, there are approximately 80 Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives.

Meanwhile, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said, "Both sides agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable the continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medical services to the people of the Maldives."

"During the meeting, both sides continued their discussions on wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation towards identifying steps to enhance the partnership, including expediting the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects," the ministry further added.

The third meeting of the high-level core group will be held in Male’ on a mutually agreeable date during the last week of February, said the ministry.

[With UNI inputs]