India has assured it won’t send troops: Maldives defence ministry

NEW DELHI: Maldives on Tuesday claimed that it has received assurance that India would not send troops to deal with the political tensions in the country.The Maldivian defence ministry issued the statement after recent remarks by some Opposition leaders, and reports in India, about possible intervention.

The defence ministry stated that such speculations were circulated with the intention of disrupting the enduring ties between the Maldives and India. The ministry has also urged citizens to refrain from spreading such propaganda.

In the statement, the defence ministry asserted that the Maldivian government has not sought military help from any country, assuring that there was no danger of foreign army interventions in the country.


“The Maldivian government assures the beloved people of the Maldives that it would not allow anything that could compromise the nation’s independence and sovereignty,” the ministry said.

India has upped the diplomatic ante on Maldives by suggesting UN send a fact-finding mission. It has also kept special forces on standby for any eventuality, including evacuation of Indian citizens and foreigners.