The Maldives government has formally requested India to withdraw its military personnel from the island, the office of the president said in a statement on Saturday.
"The Government of Maldives has formally requested the Government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the Maldives. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu formally made the request when he met the Minister of Earth Sciences of India, H.E. Mr. Kiren Rijiju, at the President’s Office earlier today," the statement read.
During his election campaign, Muizzu backed the ‘India Out’ drive, which involved opposition supporters threatening Indian diplomats in the country and voicing concerns over the presence of Indian military in the Indian Ocean nation.
Around 70 Indian military personnel are based in Maldives to maintain the New Delhi-sponsored radar stations and surveillance aircraft. Indian warships help patrol the country's exclusive economic zone.
Earlier, Muizzu said that his country was too small to be entangled in geopolitical rivalry, so the Maldives was going to work together with all the countries, including India and China.