India has set up a new base to bolster its forces on strategically important islands near the Maldives, days before the Maldives is expected to send Indian troops home.
According to a foreign news agency, this announcement has come at a time when the withdrawal of Indian forces from the Maldives is regarding to begin in a few days.
Relations between the Maldives and India have been strained ever since the election of Mohammad Muizhu as president last year.
President Muhammad Muizhu gave an ultimatum to India to withdraw 89 security personnel from Maldives. These officials were in Maldives for operating spy planes and other surveillance. The first batch of these personnel will leave the Maldives on March 10 and the evacuation process will be completed within two months.
According to a statement issued by the Indian Navy on Saturday, the new base will further expand India’s operational surveillance in the region. The base to be built on India’s Lakshadweep Islands will be inaugurated on March 6, following which the naval force stationed here will turn into an ‘autonomous naval unit’.
The new naval base is located at a distance of 130 km from the Maldives on Mini Coy Island, which is the closest point to the Maldives.
Indian Navy also has a base on Kwarati Island in Lakshadweep, but compared to this base, the new naval base is 258 km closer to Maldives.
It should be noted that the President of Maldives, Muhammad Muizhu, had raised the slogan ‘India Out’ in the election and demanded the withdrawal of the Indian army from Maldives.
As soon as he was elected president, he asked for the withdrawal of troops from India and chose Turkey and China instead of India for his first visit.
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2024-05-07 06:55:03
