The Maldivian government has sent four official documents to India as part of efforts to remove Indian soldiers from the country, the Foreign Ministry has said.
Official correspondence has been sent on four occasions and 10 meetings have taken place so far, the ministry said in response to a right to information question from Adhadhu.
The government first announced that there were 77 Indian soldiers in the country. But the figure was later revised to 89. The government says the number of Indian soldiers could still change.
On December 28, Mohamed Shaheeb, the government's chief spokesman, said the Indian troop numbers at present do not pose a threat to national security.
"The question then is whether not confirming the number of soldiers is something that endangers national security. The number of Indian soldiers we're telling the media is the number that we're getting. The relevant institutions after looking into it have not noted it as a danger to national security. They are managing these matters," Shaheeb said.
The incumbent President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's entire campaign was built on removing Indian soldiers from the Maldives as his most important pledge.
India agreed to take back the soldiers during a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the COP-28 summit, the President said. However, when journalists posed questions, the President did not provide any further details.
