External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said that he met his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer in Uganda’s Kampala and that the two leaders had a “frank conversation” on ties between the two countries.

“Met Maldives FM Moosa Zameer today in Kampala. A frank conversation on India-Maldives ties. Also discussed NAM-related issues,” Jaishankar posted on X.

Zameer also posted about the meeting on the social media website, saying it was a pleasure to meet Jaishankar on the margins of the NAM Summit.

“We exchanged views on the ongoing high-level discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, as well as expediting the completion of ongoing development projects in the Maldives, and cooperation within SAARC and NAM,” he wrote. “We are committed to further strengthening and expanding our cooperation.”

The meeting between Jaishankar and Zameer came amid an unease in India’s relationship with Maldives.

Maldives has recently asked India to withdraw its personnel from the Indian Ocean archipelago by March 15.

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu said that all Indian military personnel should be called back by this deadline. “Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Mohamed Muizzu and that of this administration,” Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, principal secretary to the Maldivian president, said during a media briefing.

While New Delhi is yet to officially respond to the demand, it has said that more discussions in this regard will be held for a resolution. Notably, there are around 70 Indian personnel, along with Dornier 228 maritime patrol aircraft and two HAL Dhruv helicopters, stationed in the Maldives currently.

Prior to this, a row also erupted on social media earlier this month after the deputy minister of Maldives, along with some other ministers, made racist remarks targeting India and mocked Modi’s attempt to promote Lakshadweep as a tourist destination.

The incident also triggered an online campaign to boycott the popular tourist destination, with prominent figures from the Indian film industry and celebrities endorsing the call to promote beach tourism in Lakshadweep and other domestic destinations.

After India strongly took up the issue with Male, the Maldivian government issued a statement distancing itself from the derogatory remarks made by the leaders and suspended three ministers – Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Mahzoom Majid.