NEW DELHI: The third meeting of the India-Maldives High-Level Core Group was held in Male on Sunday.

During the meeting, New Delhi and Male reviewed the ongoing deputation of Indian technical experts to enable the ongoing operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide the people of Maldives with humanitarian and medvac services, said India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement.

"Both sides continued their discussions on wide-ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation. This inter alia, included expediting the implementation of ongoing development cooperation projects through regular convening of joint monitoring mechanisms, efforts to boost bilateral trade and investment and enhancing people-to-people linkages through capacity building and travel," said MEA in a statement.

The MEA stated that both countries agreed to hold the next meeting of the High-Level Core Group in New Delhi on a mutually convenient date.

India replaces first batch of military soldiers in Maldives with technical personnel, says MEA.

Meanwhile, the MEA said that New Delhi had replaced its first batch of military soldiers in Maldives with technical personnel.

"The turnaround of the first team of personnel who were operating the ALH helicopter has been completed. So, the first batch that had to be replaced has been completed. The turnaround has happened," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly briefing. 

President Muizzu had set March 10 as the deadline for the withdrawal of the first group of Indian military troops from Maldives.

His government had formally requested that India withdraw its troops from Male.

Earlier, the external affairs ministry had informed that both India and the Maldives had mutually agreed on setting up workable solutions to enable the ongoing operation of Indian aviation platforms that provide medical as well as humanitarian evacuation services to the people of the Maldives.

Muizzu, who came to power in September 2023, had implemented the phased evacuation and it was his election promise that the Indian troops would be removed from the island nation.