Maldives President formally asks India to withdraw troops
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu officially requested that India withdraw its military from the archipelago Saturday, a day after being sworn in.
In a statement released by the president's office, Muizzu emphasized that the Maldivian people had given him a strong mandate during the September presidential election to make this request. He expressed optimism that India would respect the democratic will of the Maldivian populace.
Muizzu's stance on this matter aligns with his pro-China outlook. During his campaign, he pledged to remove Indian military presence and address the trade imbalance, which he claimed favored India significantly during the tenure of his predecessor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
The election outcome was widely perceived as a quasi-referendum determining the dominant regional influencer in the Indian Ocean archipelago—either China or India. The strategic location of the Maldives along the shipping route connecting the east and west has intensified the interest of both nations in exerting their influence within the region.
The dynamics between India and China vying for strategic footholds in the Maldives, situated prominently within the Indian Ocean, have been a key aspect of geopolitical discussions.
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