From controversies to India’s debt and Indian tourists… WATCH what Maldives Foreign Minister said – Firstpost

Mohamed Muizzu has sent his man, Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, to India at a time when both countries have difficult diplomatic ties. He has been bombarded with questions needing answers in recent months since Male took over as president, who is widely seen as a pro-China politician.

This afternoon, Zameer, who was on his first official visit to India, met External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar and after the two met, the visiting minister was asked a series of questions on issues related to India-India ties the Maldives.

When asked about the withdrawal of Indian soldiers from the Maldives, Zameer seemed to have avoided a direct answer. Choosing his words wisely, he said, “I believe the defense ties between Maldives and India go beyond military personnel. And now the platforms operated by military personnel will be operated by civilians.”

For those unfamiliar, May 10, 2024 (Friday) is the deadline set by Muizzu for the complete withdrawal of Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives in a bilateral agreement between the two countries.

“We had a joint exercise with the Maldivian Army, Indian Army and Sri Lanka. I think Bangladesh is an observer and we will continue to have these exercises… Peace and security in the Indian Ocean is important for both the Maldives and India. So we will work together to make the Indian Ocean a peaceful place,” Zameer said.

Which Chinese spy ship did it in the waters of the Maldives?

Earlier in February and April, a Chinese marine research vessel – Xiang Yang Hong 3 – entered the waters of the Maldives and docked in the capital Malé.

The spy ship initially arrived on February 22 and returned to Male after a brief stay of about six days, returning again last month for its second visit to the archipelagic nation.

When asked what the Chinese research ship was doing in Maldivian waters, Zameer said: “As for the port call for Chinese ships, we issued personal rotation and friendly portable permits, and diplomatic approvals came from the Chinese side, which is very common in the Maldives. . So that’s how it happened. We, as a peaceful country, welcome ships coming for peaceful purposes. But they did not come to investigate in the waters of the Maldives, we did not allow the Chinese ship to investigate in the waters of the Maldives.”

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.

The number of confident Indian tourists to the Maldives will increase

The Maldivian Foreign Minister expressed concern over the declining number of Indian tourists in the Maldives. Replying to a question on the matter, Zameer said, “I personally want to welcome all Indians who want to travel to Maldives… We would like all Indian tourists to continue coming.”

“In the last few months we have seen an increase of about 16 to 17 percent and then of course there has been a decline in the Indian markets, but I am confident that it will pick up in the near future.” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.

‘Will not be repeated’

Zameer also said that the Muizzu-led government is “taking appropriate action to ensure” that the people of the island do not make derogatory comments against India and its leader again.

“We have said that this is not the government’s position, or we believe this should not have happened. We are taking the right measures to ensure that this does not happen again. There is a misunderstanding on social media. The governments of Maldives and India understand what happened and we have now passed that stage,” Zameer said.

In January, a diplomatic row broke out between India and the Maldives over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep. The Indian prime minister had shared photos of hiking and snorkeling in the Indian archipelago, which some on the island saw as an attempt to draw visitors away from its beaches.

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Shouldn’t have happened, won’t be repeated: Maldives Foreign Minister on derogatory remarks against India

In response to images shared by Prime Minister Modi, three deputy ministers of the Maldivian government posted derogatory comments about 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 leave the Maldives and explore tourist spots in India instead.

‘Muizzu’s visit to India is postponed for the convenience of both parties’

Zameer was also asked why Muizzu broke the tradition of Maldivian presidents by making their first overseas trip to India, choosing to visit Turkey for his first official visit and China for his first diplomatic visit.

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Responding to this, he said: “We (Government of Maldives) have discussed with Delhi about a visit. But for the convenience of both parties, we thought it might be good to postpone it a bit. So even today, in my discussions with External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, we are discussing the President’s visit to Delhi very soon. Hopefully.”

The Maldivian people benefited from India

At the end of 2023, the Maldives owed India approximately $400.9 million. Last month, Muizzu said in a conciliatory tone that India will remain his country’s “closest ally” and urged New Delhi to provide debt relief to the island.

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On the Maldives’ debts to India, Zameer said: “Economic cooperation with India has been an integral part of the Maldivian economy… So it is clear that if there is debt in any country, we will figure it out based on those figures need to discuss. So I discussed that and we will continue to get engaged. But Maldivians have benefited from the debt we have received and also from the many subsidies we have received from the Indian government, and we really appreciate that.”

Zameer is on a three-day visit (May 8-10) to India.

The Ministry of External Affairs of Maldives also issued a statement after Jaishankar and Zameer’s meeting. During the official discussions, it was said that both ministers “recognized the fruitful economic partnership and remarkable progress of projects made possible by Indian grants and credit line initiatives.”

The dialogue included perspectives on development cooperation, tourism initiatives and human resources development, underscoring a partnership based on mutual trust, shared interests and values, the statement said.

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It was said that Zameer and Jaishankar also underlined the importance of exploring additional avenues to strengthen the partnership between Maldives and India.

With input from ANI

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