Muizzu Regrets Past Remarks on PM Modi, Acknowledges Actions Taken to Mend India-Maldives Relations

Muizzu Regrets Past Remarks on PM Modi, Acknowledges Actions Taken to Mend India-Maldives Relations

President Mohamed Muizzu, in reference to recent diplomatic strains between India and the Maldives, expressed regret over insulting comments that were made by a former minister about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. ‘No one should say such things,’ Muizzu said—his first public acknowledgement of the controversial remarks, which had tested relations between the two neighboring nations. The Maldivian head of state added that action had been taken against this now-sacked minister, who was responsible for derogatory statements on social media sites.

Muizzu is currently in the U.S. for the 79th United Nations General Assembly session. While speaking at Princeton University during the “Dean’s Leadership Series,” he talked about a variety of subjects. One thing he made clear: despite what some reports may have suggested, an “India Out” policy is not top of his agenda. The Maldives are concerned about foreign soldiers being based in their country, but this does not mean they are singling India out. “At no point have we ever said we’re against one country. It’s not ‘India out’”. Muizzu explained there had been a specific difficulty with troops from another nation, and Maldivians did not want them there. He seemed annoyed by how the issue had been covered in some media reports.“We don’t want other countries’ military forces on our soil.”.

Hostilities between India and the Maldives intensified greatly after last November when Muizzu took over as president. He is known for leaning towards China, and one of his initial moves was asking almost 90 Indian military personnel to leave. They had been manning three aviation platforms donated by Delhi. India agreed by May 10th but found a clever workaround. Instead of pulling out the Dornier aircraft and pair of helicopters, it merely replaced soldiers with civilians!

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This year, the Maldivian government received criticism because deputy ministers from its youth ministry made offensive posts on social media about Prime Minister Modi. They were reacting to a visit Modi made to Lakshadweep; some felt he was trying to encourage tourists to go there instead of the Maldives. After India complained, the deputies were suspended from their jobs.