New Delhi: Maldives President announced on Sunday that India has agreed to withdraw its army from the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.

Troop withdrawal issue was briefly discussed during the meeting

“In the discussions we had, the Indian government has agreed to remove Indian soldiers… We also agreed to set up a high level committee to solve issues related to development projects,” the President Mohamed Muizzu told reporters in Male.

Despite the Maldivian President stating that New Delhi agreed to withdrawing Indian military personnel, sources from the central government clarified that the two sides are currently engaged in discussions on the matter.

According to government sources, the troop withdrawal issue was briefly discussed during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Maldivian President on the sidelines of the COP29 Climate Summit in Dubai.

The sources added, “We have seen reports about the status of Indian platforms in the Maldives engaged in HADR [high availability disaster recovery] activities. The continued usefulness of the Indian platforms, as recognised in discussions, needs to be looked at from a proper perspective.”

The central government sources also pointed out that the Maldivian side has acknowledged the utility of these platforms. “The fact that it is an important segment of our bilateral development partnership is recognised by both sides. Discussions on how to keep them operational are ongoing,” government sources said.

Muizzu, who was recently elected, formally requested India on November 18 to withdraw its military presence from the country. Soon after assuming power earlier this month, he had asserted that he was firmly committed to ensuring that his country remains “free” of any “foreign military presence” to preserve its independence and sovereignty.