New Delhi: The Maldives’ Abdullah Yemen government has asked India to remove its second chopper (ALH Dhruv) from its ‘Laamu atoll’ administrative division in the Indian Ocean.
The Letter of Exchange (LoE) for this chopper expired last month and but the Abdullah government has officially refused to renew and also asked India to complete the process of removal of both Indian choppers by June end. This is a major setback for the Indian’s government as its continuously tries to improves its relations with the island nation.
Reports claim that the Abdullah Yemen government is unhappy with the presence of Indian navy staff stationed in the Maldives for the maintenance of 2 ALH helicopters which was gifted by India. The Indian government had gifted 2 ALH helicopters to the Maldives, one deployed at Addu while the other at Laamu division.
Sources claim that work on a police academy which India is building in the Maldives has also been delayed because of the governments “informal” instructions to immigration department to put on hold all fresh work permits in respect of Indian skilled personnel whose presence is essential for projects funded by India.
Commenting on this decision of the Maldives government, a leader from Maldivian Democratic Party said that “Ultimately it is India which will pay the price because it is not just about democracy but also China’s strategic encroachment of Indian space.”
Earlier Indian Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had said India plays the role of a counselor and gives humanitarian assistance to the island nation. “Maldives is our neighbour. ‘India First’ is part of their foreign policy. In ties with Maldives, whichever government has been in power (in India), there have been ups and downs,” Swaraj said.
“There had been ups and downs in the past, there are (ups and downs) now also. But ties with Maldives are not broken and connot be broken,” she added.
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