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Maldives cannot be home to foreign military bases — top diplomat

The Royal British Air Force maintained a base on one of the Maldives’ atolls

NEW DELHI, July 17. /TASS/. No foreign military base can be established in the Maldives as it is prohibited by the country’s constitution, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid told TASS on Monday.

"Under our constitution, there can be no military bases in the Maldives," he said, adding that relevant amendments were made to the constitution in 1998 and 2008.

"So, there can be no such proposals," he stressed.

The Royal British Air Force maintained a base on one of the Maldives’ atolls. An airfield built by the British military has been preserved there ever since.

Under article 251 of the Maldives’ Constitution, "No part of the territory of the Maldives shall be used for foreign military purposes."

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