“The next meeting is to be held in India to take the discussions forward. So that is where the situation as far as the Maldives is concerned,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.
India and the Maldives seek a “mutually workable solution” for “continued operation” of Indian aviation platforms, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, four days after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu asked the Indian government to withdraw its troops from the island before March 15.
“The next meeting is to be held in India to take the discussions forward. So that is where the situation as far as the Maldives is concerned,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.
Asked if India received a formal request from the Maldives to withdraw Indian military personnel from the archipelago, he said, “Whatever was discussed was put out in the press release. That is where the situation actually stands. It is an ongoing process. Both sides held discussions on finding mutually workable solutions…This is an ongoing discussion, so things will go forward or things will be discussed in the next meeting of the core group subsequently soon.”
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India and the Maldives held a core group meeting on January 14 in which both sides deliberated on finding a “mutually workable solution” to ensure the “continued operation” of Indian aviation platforms providing humanitarian and Medvec services, the MEA release said. The next meeting will be held in the national capital.
During the core group meeting, both nations delved “on several aspects of the bilateral relationship,” the spokesperson said.
The press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives on Sunday said both sides reviewed the existing bilateral cooperation. Discussions were held on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including development cooperation.
“Both sides expressed willingness to intensify cooperation and agreed to fast-track the withdrawal of Indian military personnel,” it said, adding, “It was agreed that the second meeting of the High-Level Core Group will be held at a mutually convenient time.”
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