The Ministry of Defence in the Maldives issued a statement on Monday announcing the arrival of the inaugural group of Indian civilians tasked with replacing the Indian military personnel stationed in the country and taking charge of the helicopters provided by India for medical purposes.
According to the ministry's statement, the civilian crew, designated to operate the helicopters instead of the current Indian troops stationed in Seenu Gan (Addu city), arrived in the Maldives on Monday evening.
Presently, approximately 80 Indian military personnel are deployed in the Maldives, primarily responsible for operating two Indian helicopters and an aircraft, which have been actively involved in numerous medical evacuations and humanitarian missions.
The Indian aviation assets have been serving the people of the Maldives through humanitarian efforts and medical evacuation services over the past several years.
The handover process from the Indian military personnel to the newly arrived civilian crew commenced at the Gan International Airport during the early hours of Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Maldives' Ministry of Defence disclosed that the helicopter stationed at Laamu Gan Kadhdhoo Airport would be sent back to India for maintenance. A replacement helicopter is expected to arrive on Wednesday aboard an Indian warship.
Following a high-level meeting between India and the Maldives in Delhi on February 2, the Maldivian foreign ministry announced that India would substitute its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10.
The agreement stipulated that India would begin replacing military personnel on one of the three aviation platforms by March 10 and complete the replacement process on the remaining two platforms by May 10, as per statements issued by both countries' ministries.
Furthermore, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that both nations had reached a consensus on implementing mutually agreeable measures to ensure the uninterrupted operation of Indian aviation platforms, which furnish humanitarian aid and medical evacuation services to the Maldivian populace.
In January, President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives had called for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from the country by March 15. Muizzu, perceived as a pro-China leader, had pledged to remove Indian troops from the Maldives following his victory in the presidential election in November 2023.
