Muizzu agrees to let India deploy defence platforms in Maldives, months after making India withdraw troops

SS: President Mohamed Muizzu on Monday agreed to let New Delhi deploy “defence platforms and assets” in the Maldives – signalling a turnaround in his approach just a few months after his government in Malé had made India withdraw all its military personnel stationed in the Indian Ocean archipelago for humanitarian operations.

But, with an economic crisis looming over his tiny nation, Muizzu has been over the past few months warming up to New Delhi. The foreign exchange reserve of the Maldives has plummeted to $440m, just enough for one-and-a-half months of imports. Beijing’s lukewarm response to its call for assistance prompted Malé to turn to New Delhi.