India-Maldives core group to meet in Delhi next month to discuss issue of military personnel
S Jaishankar met with his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer on the sidelines of NAM Summit and held a “frank conversation” on India-Maldives ties. Withdrawal of Indian military personnel from Maldives and India’s solution to address situation was among the key talking points.
Ties have been strained following Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s call for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country by March 15 and his verbal attack against India following his China trip.
“Met Maldives FM @MoosaZameer today in Kampala.
A frank conversation on India-Maldives ties. Also discussed NAM [Non-Aligned Movement]-related issues,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.
The two met at the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala on Thursday.
Zameer, in a post on X, said that India and Maldives are committed to “further strengthening and expanding our cooperation.”
“We exchanged views on the ongoing high-level discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, as well as expediting the completion of ongoing development projects in the #Maldives, and cooperation within SAARC and NAM,” he wrote on his X
The relations between India and Maldives had turned frosty earlier this month after three deputy ministers in the Maldivian government posted derogatory comments on social media against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over photographs of his trip to Lakshadweep. The ministers were suspended by the Muizzu government, which distanced itself from the comments made by the ministers.
However, there was huge backlash here against the Ministers on social media.
The India-Maldives core group will meet again next month this time in New Delhi to work on
