President Muizzu said that with the establishment of the MNDF Air Corps, more vessels will be procured for air force purposes, and there will also be an increase in the number of sea vessels and land vehicles in the near future.
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), Dr Mohamed Muizzu last night pledged to double the Coast Guard's capacity during his term, noting that that the current condition of the MNDF Coast Guard vessels is poor.
President Muizzu made this announcement while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of MNDF Air Corps and the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) held at Noonu atoll Maafaru International Airport.
"Vessels of various sizes will be procured, and the process is already underway, as mentioned earlier, with the Turkish government working closely with us. We are also in discussions with friendly nations. God willing, the capacity of our Coast Guard will increase day by day," President Muizzu said.
The President said that while there are currently 10 small vessels available for the Coast Guard's use, some of them are unusable.
"This is very unfortunate. Years have passed without attention being paid to these issues. This is the Maldivian army. This is unacceptable. This is not what Maldivians deserve," President Muizzu said.
He stated that with the establishment of the MNDF Air Corps, more vessels will be procured for air force purposes, and there will also be an increase in the number of sea vessels and land vehicles in the near future.
"The purpose of this [effort] is to feel proud of our nation. It is the right of each and every one of us. I believe that ensuring this is my biggest responsibility," President Muizzu said.
President Muizzu emphasized that no one should be worried about the efforts being undertaken to strengthen the Maldivian army. He added that the Maldives will always maintain close relations with every country.
"We are not enemies of any country. What is important for us is to ensure that this country stands on its own feet and is self-reliant. Unless this country is self-reliant in every sense of the word, be it economically or in military capacity, and is a place where people live in peace and prosperity, there will be no stability in the region," he said.
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