Male, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected president of the Maldives, has promptly addressed India with a request to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldivian territory.

According to a news release by Kashmir Media Service, the president-elect, set to officially assume office in November, remarked in an interview with an international media platform, “We don’t want any foreign military boots on Maldivian soil… I promised this to the people of the Maldives and I will live up to my promise from day one.” Dr. Muizzu further recounted a meeting with the Indian ambassador shortly after his electoral win where he underscored his position by stating that “every single Indian military personnel here should be removed”.

Historically, the Maldives has been in India’s sphere of influence, and this stance from the newly elected president could potentially spark diplomatic frictions between Malé and Delhi. Dr. Muizzu’s election victory was perceived as an unfavourable outcome for India, especially given that his predecessor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, had bolstered ties with India during his tenure since 2018.

India, recognizing the strategic significance of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, has extended around $2 billion in development aid to the nation.

Highlighting concerns over escalating tensions between India and China along the Himalayan frontier, Dr. Muizzu indicated that the stationed troops might render the Maldives vulnerable. He emphasized, “Maldives is too small to get entangled with this global power struggle. We will not get entangled into this.”