India refutes Maldives minister's claim of an unauthorized helicopter flight

India on Tuesday refuted claims by the Maldives defence minister that an Indian gifted helicopter had made an unauthorized flight.

India had gifted two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft which are utilized for maritime patrols, search and rescue operations and medevacs. But the Indian military personnel stationed to operate the aviation platforms had become a contentious issue, which was heavily used by incumbent president Dr. Mohamed Muizzu during his successful presidential campaign last November.  

Since coming to power, he has demanded the withdrawal of the Indian soldiers and after several rounds of negotiations the soldiers have been replaced with Indian civilians which according to the government are Hindustan aeronautics limited staff. 

After the last batch of the Indian soldiers left the country, Defence minister Ghassan Maumoon told reporters that one of the helicopters had made a flight without the required authorization from MNDF.

Ghassan referred to the information the parliamentary security services committee had received in 2019 when he was an opposition lawmaker.

The Indian high commission in Male in a statement refuted the minister's claims insisting that the three aviation platforms have always operated in the Maldives with due authorization from MNDF, adding that the same procedure was followed during the flight referred to by Ghassan.

"The emergency landing at Thimarafushi [island] was necessitated due to an unforeseen exigency, which was carried out after taking necessary on-ground approvals from the ATC to ensure the safety and security of the platform and crew," the brief statement read.  

The dispute over the garrison, and the Maldives' overtures to Beijing, have been viewed with consternation in New Delhi. 

But both South Asian nations struck a conciliatory note in a meeting between their foreign ministers in the Indian capital a day before the withdrawal deadline. 

Zameer said his trip to Delhi marked a "new initiative of collaboration, symbolising enduring friendship and shared goals".

His Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar said both countries had a common interest in reaching "an understanding on how best we take our relationship forward."

Following the request made by Zameer during the visit, India on Monday sanctioned the rollover of a $50 million loan provided as budget support in 2019.