President Mohamed Muizzu has said that surveillance of the Maldives' territory should not concern any "external parties", as he announced measures to bolster its defense forces, including deploying drones for the first time to safeguard the archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean.
Speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate the Maldives National Defence Force's (MNDF) Air Corps and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Muizzu stated, "The Maldives isn't a small nation," underlining its capability to monitor its jurisdiction. He said, "Maldives is an independent and sovereign nation and that surveillance of the Maldives' jurisdiction should not concern any external parties."
Muizzu further affirmed the importance of Maldives' independence and sovereignty, asserting, "This must be in the common interest of the entire populace, despite varying ideologies." Addressing the issue of Indian military personnel, Muizzu declared, "No Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10."
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Expressing gratitude to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his continuous assistance in enhancing the Maldives' military capabilities, Muizzu stated, "Erdogan played a pivotal role in realizing his goal of using drones for the first time to patrol the huge maritime area of the Maldives." He added, "Most of it was received through grant aid from Turkiye."
