NEW DELHI: Proving right speculations that India’s ties with Maldives would come under strain under its new president, Mohamed Muizzu announced on his first day in office that he would send back all foreign soldiers from the country. The only foreign military presence in Maldives is that of India.
Muizzu is known to have strong leanings towards China, like his mentor and former President Abdulla Yameen. Earlier, the outgoing president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had faced strong criticism from Muizzu, then the leader of the opposition, for allowing “unchecked Indian presence in Maldives”. Solih, in turn, had insisted that the Indian military was in the Maldives solely to construct a dockyard under an agreement between the two governments.
Muizzu on Tuesday declared that he had decided to send back the foreign soldiers as demanded by the citizens of Maldives. He also said that the removal of the military presence would not have any major impact on diplomatic relations. Muizzu won the presidential poll defeating incumbent Solih, who was a close aide and friend of India. Muizzu secured 54 per cent votes against 46 per cent that Solih could manage.
When Muizzu’s Progressive Party of Maldives was last in power, it oversaw heavy Chinese loans for the nation. Meanwhile, during his election campaign, Muizzu had also promised to release former president Abdulla Yameen, who is in jail on corruption charges. Yameen was not just pro-China but was also vehemently anti-India. He was responsible for executing the ‘India Out’ campaign even as he was languishing in jail. Once he is out, the chances of India’s presence and clout decreasing in Maldives will be stronger.
Muizzu on Tuesday also said he would meet ambassadors of different countries, in accordance with the law. India and Maldives have shared diplomatic, defence, economic and cultural ties for the last six decades. Placed at a crucial geographical location in the Indian Ocean, Maldives is vital to India’s strategy for the region. For its part, Maldives benefits from India’s economic assistance and net security provision. India has assisted Maldives in various ways since its independence in 1965, such as its pursuit of socio-economic development, modernisation and maritime security.
However, all that is likely to change. Much like they did when Yameen came to power in 2013, India-Maldives relations spiralled downward with his crackdown on democracy, proximity towards China, and anti-India rhetoric used to muster nationalist sentiments.