Commander-in-Chief of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), President Mohamed Muizzu, has said he was not aware of any country requesting to use Maldivian airspace in the US-Israel war against Iran.
Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel revealed on Sunday (March 22) that some countries had requested permission to use Maldivian airspace.
However, Muizzu told a news conference on Monday (March 23) that he was not aware of any request to use Maldivian airspace.
"I have not received any information about this. Of course, if they request, I will reject it immediately," he said.
At Sunday's press conference, Khaleel told reporters that the Maldives had rejected a request to use Maldivian airspace for the war.
"Protecting the security and economy of the country first and foremost. Under it, I can say that the airspace of the country has not been used to attack any country and we are also rejecting such requests," Khaleel said.
The Constitution states that the supreme commander of the army is the President. It is unclear why Muizzu was not aware of such a big issue related to the country's national security. It is likely to be a criminal offense to withhold such information from the President.
Khaleel refused to disclose the name of the country which had requested to use Maldivian airspace, but it is believed to have been from the US.
