Maldives President asks India to withdraw military from island

A day after being sworn-in as the new President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu has formally requested the government of India to withdraw its military personnel from the island nation.

A press release was issued from the Maldives President's office on Saturday.

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu formally made the request when he met the Minister of Earth Sciences of India, Kiren Rijiju, at the President's Office earlier today," the release said.

Union minister Kiren Rijiju represented India at the inauguration of the Maldives' new leader which was a significant downgrade from the previous occasions where the prime minister was present.

Before being elected, Muizzu made it clear that his top priority would be to remove the presence of the Indian military as soon as possible.