This development comes days after the two main opposition parties of the Maldives, slammed Muizzu’s anti-India pivot.
Last month, amid a diplomatic row, the two parties had described India as the country’s ‘most long-standing ally,’ while accusing the current administration of making a ‘stark pivot towards an anti-India stance.’
The President is required by the Constitution to address Parliament at the first session of the first term of the year, outlining the state of the nation and outlining his recommendations.
The remark created a massive controversy on social media with many influential Indians, including celebrities, asking the masses to boycott visiting the country.
Within weeks of the row, India went down the ranks from third to fifth in terms of the tourism numbers for Maldives at the start of 2024.
India’s external affairs ministry said after the meeting that the two countries ‘agreed on a set of mutually workable solutions to enable continued operation of Indian aviation platforms’ that provide humanitarian services to Maldives, even as it was decided Indian troops stationed in the country would leave.
The first set of Indian troops will leave by March 10 and the rest by May 10, the Maldives said, citing an agreement reached at a high-level meeting in the Indian capital.
India and the Maldives have been close allies for decades. However, ties have been strained under Muizzu’s presidency and came to a head with the parliamentary comments episode.
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