Maldives President Muizzu Requests Debt Relief from India After Insisting on Withdrawal of Military Personnel

Defense News ,India :-  Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu used to talk against India, but now he's saying sorry. He says India will stay as Maldives' best friend. He asked India to help Maldives by forgiving its debt.

Last year, Maldives owed a lot of money to India - about $400.9 million. Since last November, Maldives' leader has been tough on India. He asked Indian soldiers to leave Maldives by May 10.

But recently, in his first interview after becoming president, Muizzu said nice things about India. He said India has helped Maldives a lot and is its closest friend. He also asked India to forgive Maldives' debt.

Some Indian soldiers have already left Maldives. By May 10, all 88 soldiers should leave. India has been helping Maldives with helicopters and an aircraft for medical emergencies.

Maldives is very close to India, just 70 miles away from an Indian island. So, it's crucial for India. Muizzu wants India to forgive Maldives' loans because they are too big to pay back.

Muizzu hopes India will agree to forgive the loans. He thanked India for its help. Before, when Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was the leader, Maldives took loans worth $1.4 million from India. By the end of last year, Maldives owed about $400.9 million to India.

Muizzu met Indian Prime Minister Modi in Dubai in December 2023. He told Modi that he doesn't want to stop any projects. Instead, he wants to speed them up. He suggested forming a team to make quick decisions on projects like bridges and airports.

When asked about Indian soldiers in Maldives, Muizzu said it was the only problem between the two countries. But now, India agreed to take its soldiers back. Muizzu said he didn't want to damage the relationship between the two countries.

Even if soldiers from another country come, Maldives will deal with them the same way. Muizzu said it's about Maldives' safety, not personal issues.

Muizzu defended his decision to let civilians, not soldiers, run the helicopters and aircraft. He said the previous leader, Abdulla Yameen, also asked for Indian soldiers to leave, but they stayed.

Muizzu visited China in January and signed deals with them. China promised to give $130 million and send more tourists to Maldives.

Muizzu said Maldives might be small, but no one should bully it. He ended a deal with India about ocean surveys. He said the Indian Ocean belongs to everyone, not just India.