The government will not permit any foreign nation to utilise its sovereign airspace for the purpose of launching military offensives, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Abdulla Khaleel formally declared.
The announcement underscores an administration-wide mandate to ensure the country is not leveraged as a staging ground for international conflict. To mitigate the potential domestic and geopolitical repercussions of such instability, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has established a specialised, ministerial-level committee tasked with preserving national peace and bolstering the country's economy against external shocks.
This protective stance arrives in the wake of mounting allegations suggesting that the country’s airspace is actively being utilised to facilitate military strikes against other nations. Minister Khaleel forcefully dismissed these accusations, asserting that the government refuses all such operational appeals from foreign powers.
"I wish to clarify that the airspace of the Maldives has not been utilised to launch an attack against any nation," the minister stated. "Furthermore, I must underscore that any future requests of this nature will be firmly rejected. We do not grant any country permission to utilise our airspace for such purposes."
The administration’s refusal to grant wartime access was recently tested by public scrutiny following reports that a United States aircraft had been serviced at Velana International Airport. When questioned during a press briefing earlier this month, President Muizzu categorically denied the rumours, confirming the vessel was not a military aircraft. The president explained that the aircraft had secured the necessary administrative clearances prior to its arrival on 17 January, arriving from the Seychelles before subsequently departing for Thailand.
Such incidents have accelerated a broader strategic effort to safeguard territorial integrity through the expansion of the military’s capacity to monitor and secure both maritime borders and sovereign airspace. Authorities have reiterated a zero-tolerance policy regarding sovereignty, declaring that no party will be granted the opportunity to conduct unlawful activities within the nation’s domains.