Maldives’ President-elect says Indian troops stationed in region need to leave

COLOMBO: Maldives intends to be “fully independent” and will ask Indian troops stationed in the island nation to leave, President-elect Mohamed Muizzu said in an interview published by Bloomberg News on Friday, as New Delhi and Beijing both vie for influence in the region.

Removing Indian troops was a key campaign pledge by Muizzu, who ousted President Ibrahim Solih last month.

In a heated election campaign, Muizzu had accused Solih of allowing India unchecked sway over the island nation’s affairs and of surrendering the country’s sovereignty by allowing Indian troops to be stationed there.

Around 70 Indian military personnel maintain New Delhi-sponsored radar stations and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships help patrol Maldives’ exclusive economic zone.

In an interview to Bloomberg TV, Muizzu said that he had already begun negotiations with the Indian government on removing its military presence, calling those talks “very successful already.”

“We want a bilateral relationship that’s mutually beneficial,” Muizzu told Bloomberg, adding that Indian soldiers would not be replaced by troops from other countries. Asking India to remove military personnel in no way indicated “that

I’m going to allow China or any other country to bring their military troops here,” he said. Muizzu’s win extends the tug-of-war between China and India for influence over the Indian Ocean.

Successive governments have tilted either toward India or China. Both Asian powerhouses have invested heavily in upgrading Maldives infrastructure and extended loans, as they compete with each other.

The US and its allies such as Japan and Australia are looking to isolate an increasingly assertive and assured Beijing and have invested heavily in propping-up New Delhi as a regional counterweight and key partner in Asia. That seemed to pay off as Muizzu’s predecessor, Solih steered the country closer

to India.