India's Ministry of External Affairs led by minister Sushma Swaraj has reportedly stepped in to discuss a deadline set by the Maldives for India to withdraw its helicopters gifted to the island nation, according to Indian media sources.
Maldives had returned one of the choppers in May and now have asked India to remove the second by the end of the month. The Letter of Exchange (LoE) for the chopper deployed in Laamu atoll expired last month.
According to Indian government sources, tensions over the presence of the two Indian helicopters in two different strategically important locations in Laamu and Addu atolls have been growing over the past few weeks, forcing the MEA to step in to defuse the situation.
“Maldives has given India a deadline by the month-end to remove its helicopters,” an official source was quoted in The Hindu.
The Indian government was reportedly discussing possible reactions to the move.
The high-power meeting came just days after a vote for United Nations Security Council seats, where the Maldives claimed India had supported its candidature over Indonesia's, an election that the Maldives eventually lost by a huge margin.
The return of the choppers has been taken another sign of deteriorating ties between the once two friendly nations.
There have been reports that the Male has been concerned by the presence of Indian navy staff who are stationed in the Maldives for the maintenance of the choppers.
India had reportedly stationed six pilots and over a dozen ground personnel to operate the choppers and also help the Maldivian National Defence Force (MNDF).
There had been further controversy when the visas given to the pilots operating the helicopter expired at the end of May. Despite requests, the visas were reportedly not renewed immediately, causing some concern for the personnel.
“The MEA had to step in to sort the issue and it has now been extended by a month till June 30,” a defence source was quoted by The Hindu.
Defence minister Adam Shareef Umar had told AVAS earlier that the government had been planning to replace the choppers with a Donier maritime surveillance aircraft. The minister did not divulge further details.
However, according to Indian government sources, Maldives has thus far failed to approve a LoE which Male itself had requested.
Bilateral ties between the two countries had soured after Maldives President Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Gayoom in February declared state of emergency following an order by the country’s Supreme Court to release a group of opposition leaders convicted in widely criticised trials.
Maldives had subsequently declined India’s invitation to participate in its eight-day mega naval conclave called “Milan” at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
