Ties between India and the Maldives deteriorate further after island nation calls on New Delhi to withdraw military contingent

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Maldives' president Mohamed Muizzu: he said the Maldives was not a country that was 'in the backyard of another country, but an independent nation'. Photograph: Mohamed Afrah/AFP via Getty Images India’s ties with the Maldives have deteriorated further after Male formally called upon New Delhi to withdraw its military contingent from the island republic by March 15th. The weekend ultimatum to Delhi followed the first meeting in the capital Male of the recently instituted India-Maldives High Level Core Group, comprising senior diplomats and officials from both sides, and intended to further bilateral relations. “Indian troops cannot stay in the Maldives....