India and Maldives convened their fourth round of bilateral High-Level Core Group meetings on Friday to assess the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the Island nation by May 10, as per the deadline set by the Maldivian government led by Mohamed Muizzu.
This significant bilateral meeting, held in New Delhi, involved core groups responsible for overseeing the transition of Indian military personnel with civilian experts.
As per a statement issued by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, discussions were held regarding the “ongoing efforts to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide humanitarian and medevac services to the people of Maldives."
"Both sides noted with satisfaction that the Government of India will replace military personnel at the last of the three aviation platforms by May 10, and all the logistical arrangements are going ahead as per schedule" according to the Maldives foreign ministry.
They also agreed to hold the fifth meeting of the high-level core group in Male during June or July, on a date mutually agreeable to both parties.
Over the past two months, India has withdrawn two sets of military personnel from the Maldives, substituting them with civilian professionals. These personnel were responsible for operating and upkeeping two helicopters and an aircraft.
Although relations between India and the Maldives faced some challenges following Muizzu's rise to power in November, ties, including defence and security cooperation, had shown promising progress under the previous government in Male.
During the presidential elections, Muizzu campaigned with the India-out initiative. Upon assuming office, he reiterated his commitment to fulfilling his election pledge of removing Indian military personnel.