Mohamed Muizzu has sent his man, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer to India at a time when both countries are undergoing troubled diplomatic ties. He was bombarded with questions that were due to be answered for the past few months since Male got its new President who is widely seen as a pro-China politician.
This afternoon, Zameer, who is on his first official visit to India, met External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and after the two met, the visiting minister was thrown a range of questions on issues pertaining to India-Maldives ties.
When asked about the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from Maldives, Zameer appeared to have avoided giving a direct response. He chose his words wisely and said, “I think Maldives-India defence relations goes beyond military personnel. And now, those platforms which have been handled by the military personnel will be handled by civilians.”
For the unversed, May 10, 2024 (Friday) is the deadline set by Muizzu for the complete withdrawal of Indian military personnel stationed in Maldives in a bilateral agreement between both nations.
“We have had a joint exercise with the Maldivian military, Indian military and Sri Lanka. I think Bangladesh is an observer and we will continue to have these exercises… Peace and security of the Indian Ocean is important for both Maldives as well as India. So we will work together to make the Indian Ocean a peaceful place,” Zameer said.
What Chinese spy ship was doing in Maldivian waters?
Earlier in February as well as in April, a Chinese marine research vessel – Xiang Yang Hong 3 – entered the Maldives waters and docked in its capital Malé.
The spy ship initially arrived on February 22 and after a brief stay of about six days in Malé it returned, just to be back again last month for its second visit to the archipelago nation.
When asked about what the Chinese research vessel was doing in Maldivian waters, Zameer said: “Regarding the port call for Chinese vessels, we issued personal rotation and friendly portable permits, and diplomatic clearances came from the Chinese side, which is very common in Maldives. So that’s how it has happened we as a peaceful country, welcome those vessels which come for peaceful purposes. But they didn’t come for research in the Maldivian waters, we have not permitted the Chinese vessel for research in the Maldivian waters.”
He went on to say that the peace and security of the Indian Ocean is important for India, Maldives, Sri Lanka and the rest of the countries. “So, we will continue to work together,” Zameer added.
Confident Indian tourists’ number to Maldives will pick up
The Maldivian foreign minister expressed concerns over the dwindling number of Indian tourists in Maldives. Responding to a question on the issue, Zameer said: “I myself want to welcome all Indians who would like to travel to Maldives… We would like all Indian tourists to continue to come.”
“In the past couple of months, we have had about a 16 to 17 per cent increase and then of course there has been a decrease in Indian markets but I am confident that it will pick up in the near future.” the Maldives Foreign Minister said.
‘Won’t get repeated’
Zameer also said Muizzu-led government is “taking proper action to make sure” that people of the island nation do not make derogatory remarks against India and its leader again.
“We have said that it’s not the stand of the government or we believe that it shouldn’t have been done. We are taking proper action to make sure that this doesn’t get repeated. There has been a misunderstanding, in social media. The governments of Maldives and India understand what has happened and we have passed that stage now,” Zameer said.
In January, a diplomatic row broke out between India and Maldives over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lakshadweep visit. The Indian PM had shared pictures of strolling and snorkelling in the Indian archipelago, which some from the island nation saw as an attempt to draw visitors away from its beaches.
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Shouldn’t have been done, won’t be repeated: Maldives foreign minister on derogatory remarks against India
In reaction to images shared by PM Modi, three deputy ministers of the Maldivian government posted derogatory remarks on X, with one of them even calling the Prime Minister “a clown” and “a puppet of Israel”.
The posts angered several Indians and celebrities who asked people to ditch visiting Maldives and instead explore tourist spots in India.
‘Muizzu’s India visit getting delayed for convenience of both sides’
Zameer was also asked as to why Muizzu broke the tradition of Maldivian Presidents, making their first overseas trip to India, and opted to visit Turkey for his first official visit and China for his first diplomatic visit.
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Responding to it, he said: “We (the Maldives government) did discuss with Delhi about a visit. But for the convenience of both sides, we thought it might be okay for us to delay it a little bit. So, in fact, even today, with my discussions with External Affairs minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, we are discussing the President’s visit to Delhi very soon. Hopefully.”
Maldivian people benefited from India
By the end of 2023, Maldives owed India approximately $400.9 million. Last month, Muizzu in a reconciliatory tone said India will continue to remain the “closest ally” of his country and urged New Delhi to provide debt relief to the island nation.
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Talking about Maldives’ debt to India, Zameer said: “Economic cooperation with India has been an integral part of Maldivian economy… So obviously, if there is any debt in any country that we are, we need to discuss based on those figures. So I did discuss that and we will continue to be engaged. But Maldivian people have benefited from the debt that we have received and also from a lot of grants that we have received from the Indian government and we really appreciate that.”
Zameer is on a three-day (May 8-10) visit to India.
Maldives Foreign Ministry also issued a statement following Jaishankar and Zameer’s meeting. It said during the official discussions, both ministers “acknowledged the fruitful economic partnership and the notable progress of projects facilitated through Indian grant assistance and line of credit initiatives.”
The dialogue comprised perspectives on development cooperation, tourism initiatives, and human resource development, underscoring a partnership built on mutual trusts shared interests and values, the statement further read.
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It said that Zameer and Jaishankar also underscored the significance of exploring additional avenues to enhance the Maldives-India partnership.
With inputs from ANI
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From controversies to India’s debt & Indian tourists… WATCH what Maldives foreign minister said
