Third meeting of Maldives-India talks held in Male
The two countries agreed to hold the fourth meeting of the core group in Delhi.
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By
Shahudha Mohamed
The third meeting of the High-Level Core Group between the two countries on the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives was held in Male on Sunday.
Official talks on the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives began on 14 January. The talks are being conducted by the core group announced by President Mohammed Muizzu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP 28 summit held in Dubai last December.
According to the Foreign Ministry, at the third meeting of the core group held on Sunday:
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The two countries discussed the progress made in handing over the operation of the Dornier aircraft and helicopters to Indian technical personnel after the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives
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So far, all the Indian troops on one platform have been unloaded and technical people have been brought in; the remaining two platforms will bring in civilians before May 10
The first team of Indian civilians to fly the helicopter arrived in Maldives in February after the deployment of Indian troops as agreed between the Maldivian and Indian governments. The second team of civilians will be brought in April and the third team in May.
The Indian External Affairs Ministry also issued a press release on the meeting on Sunday. The country noted that in addition to the withdrawal of Indian troops from Maldives, the meeting also discussed:
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Many issues were discussed regarding strengthening relations between the two countries
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These include accelerating India-Maldives joint projects through joint-monitoring mechanisms and expanding trade between the two countries
The two countries agreed to hold the fourth meeting of the core group in Delhi.
The second meeting of the Maldives-India talks was held on February 2.
