:watermark(cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ipmgroup/KSYODHLMNBBMDA7B5YPJPTFVNY.png,0,-0,0,100)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/ipmgroup/RQVIVP4CPZBYDKIG7PDLYVMH3U.png "Maldives asked India to withdraw its troops by March 15")
“President Mohamed Muizzu made this request at a high-level committee meeting between the two countries… The proposal is currently being studied,” the senior official told reporters. The March 15 deadline was set on Sunday during discussions with Indian officials in the Indian Ocean archipelago, Mohamed Muizzu's public policy secretary Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim said. He made his request a day after returning from China, where he signed a series of agreements.
New Delhi has long considered the Indian Ocean archipelago as part of its sphere of influence, but since the last presidential election, the country is now leaning towards China, the Maldives' biggest creditor. On Wednesday, Beijing and Male signed several agreements, mainly on climate, agriculture and infrastructure.
After an initial donation of helicopters, New Delhi strengthened its military presence in the Maldives in 2016, and the Indian army has operated three aircraft in recent years to patrol the archipelago's maritime areas.
Maldives, known as one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Asia with its pristine white sandy beaches and luxury resorts, has also become a point of contention between India and China. This archipelago, which consists of 1,192 small islands in the Indian Ocean, occupies a strategic position because it is crossed by the main east-west shipping route.
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