Indian soldiers will leave the country by May 10, Muizzu again reiterated his anti-India stance in Parliament, opposition boycotted

In his maiden Parliament speech, Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu on Monday reiterated his anti-India stance, saying the country will not allow any interference in its sovereignty. These comments follow an agreement between New Delhi and Male for withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives by May 10. As a pro-China leader well known Muizzu said he believed the majority of Maldivians supported his administration. It is expected that they will remove foreign military presence from the country.

About 80 troops deployed to the Indian Ocean archipelago will be replaced by civilians. Last week, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that both sides have agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms providing humanitarian services. New Delhi’s relations with Male have been under strain since Mohammed Muizzu was elected President of Maldives last year, after he promised to end the country’s India First policy. Citing the consensus reached at a high-level meeting in the Indian capital on several issues related to bilateral cooperation, Maldives had earlier said that the first group of Indian troops would leave by March 10 and the rest by May 10.

Earlier today, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) boycotted Muizzu’s inaugural speech in Parliament. Another opposition party, the Democrats, also joined the MDP, and said three cabinet members, who were rejected by parliament last week, had been invited to the meeting. The MDP, which holds the majority in Parliament, said its decision to boycott Muizzoo’s address was aimed at undermining the respect of Parliament, Maldivian outlet SunOnline International reported. Local media reported that the island nation’s president is required by the constitution to address parliament at the first session of the first term of the year.