In the midst of a diplomatic standoff, the Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer is scheduled for an official visit to India on Thursday, as confirmed by the Ministry of External Affairs. The statement further outlines that during the visit, Minister Zameer will engage in discussions with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar regarding various bilateral and regional matters of shared concern.
“Moosa Zameer, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives will be in India on an official visit on 09 May 2024. During his visit to New Delhi, Foreign Minister Zameer will meet the External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar for discussions on bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest,” MEA statement said.
“Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Foreign Minister Zameer’s visit is expected to lend further momentum to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries,” it added.
Previously, the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Foreign Minister Mansoor would embark on a visit to India from May 8 to May 10.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs His Excellency Moosa Zameer will undertake an Official Visit to India from 8 to 10 May 2024,” the release said.
“During the visit, Minister Zameer will meet with India’s Minister of External Affairs Dr S. Jaishankar and hold discussions in deepening and expanding the longstanding partnership between the Maldives and India,” it added.
Significantly, this marks the inaugural official visit of Foreign Minister Zameer to India since assuming office. The timing of the visit coincides with India’s announcement of withdrawing its military personnel from Maldives before May 10.
During the 4th meeting of the bilateral High-Level Core Group on May 3, India and Maldives conducted a comprehensive review of the plan to replace Indian military personnel stationed in the Island nation by May 10. They acknowledged the commitment of the government to complete the troop replacement before the specified deadline. Prior to this, the Maldives government under Mohamed Muizzu formally requested the withdrawal of Indian troops from Male.
According to a press release from the Maldives Foreign Ministry, both sides assessed the current state of bilateral cooperation. “Discussions were held on a wide range of issues of mutual interest, including development and defence cooperation.”
“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,” the press release added.
It was additionally decided that the fifth meeting of the High-Level Core Group will convene in Male on a date mutually acceptable within the month of June or July. The Ministry of External Affairs had previously announced last month that the initial group of Indian personnel in the Maldives had been substituted with technical personnel.
Previously, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that India and the Maldives had reached consensus on a series of practical solutions to facilitate the ongoing operation of Indian aviation platforms, which offer humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the Maldivian population. Last month, the MEA also announced that the initial contingent of Indian technical personnel had arrived in the Maldives to take over from the defense personnel.
India and the Maldives have conducted two high-level core group meetings, with the third meeting anticipated to occur shortly. The withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives was the primary focus of Muizzu’s party’s election campaign. Presently, there are approximately 70 Indian troops stationed in the Maldives, alongside a Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters.