Minister of Defense Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon has said that the government of the Maldives is against the permanent presence of foreign military troops despite establishing defense relations with each other. He made the remarks while speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue 2024 organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Singapore.
Speaking at the dialogue, Minister Ghassan said the government's policies are to enhance the capacity of the country's own defense forces and ensure internationally accepted standards in the region. He also said that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu prioritises maintaining existing ties with countries and establishing more.
Additionally, Minister Ghassan noted that President Dr. Muizzu prioritises improving the quality of the military and enhancing its capacity to protect itself against maritime terrorism acts, abuse of legal resources and climate change. In terms of the territory in which the Maldives is located, he said that it has international responsibilities and the responsibility of protecting individuals traveling in the Indian Ocean.
Furthermore, Minister Ghassan described ensuring the security and safety of small countries as always a challenge and said that small countries like the Maldives have regarded international law as the greatest guarantee of independence. He, however, noted that some countries are abandoning these values as a challenge to the security and safety of small countries. Therefore, he said that small countries need to build strong relationships to overcome the challenges. He also said that relationships should be established between small countries and outside them.
Moreover, Minister Ghassan said President Dr. Muizzu's policy is to enhance defense capabilities and ensure the security of the maritime area around the Maldives. He also said the government does not want foreign military troops to be stationed on Maldivian soil in any sense.
The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defense summit. It is a meeting where ministers debate the region's biggest security challenges and participate in important discussions. This year’s meeting takes place in Singapore from May 31 to June 2.