India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that in place of Indian troops in the Maldives, technical personnel capable of carrying out helicopter and Dornier operations will be sent again.

According to a report by NDTV, the agreement was reached during a high-level dialogue between the two countries, but the External Affairs Ministry did not say whether the "competent technical personnel" who said Indian troops would be replaced were Indian army professionals or some civil matters of India.

On January 2, a high-level delegation and a high-level Indian delegation held a meeting in Delhi to discuss the issue of withdrawal of Indian troops from the Maldives.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release on the same day stating that the Maldives has agreed to withdraw all Indian troops in the Maldives by May 10.

"Troops on one of the three aviation platforms will be withdrawn by March 10, 2024. The troops deployed on the remaining two platforms will be released by May 10, 2024," the Foreign Ministry said.

However, giving details of the meeting, the Foreign Ministry issued a press statement on the same day stating that Dornier operations will be carried out as agreed by the Maldives and India.

At the time, neither the Maldives nor India had agreed to continue the Dornier operations.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who arrived in the Maldives on March 14 after concluding his visit to China, said that a formal request has been made to India to evacuate all Indian troops in the Maldives by March 15.

The withdrawal of Indian soldiers from the Maldives was one of his presidential pledges.