New Delhi: As Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's five-day trip signalled a thaw in India's relations with its southern neighbour, the opposition in Male slammed Muizzu's “naive and inexperienced” administration and said it has now realised that diplomacy cannot be conducted through “lies and deceit.”
The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge of the top office in November. Within hours of his oath, he had demanded the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from his country. Subsequently, the Indian military personnel were replaced by civilians.
However, things are now beginning to take a positive note as Muizzu came to India for his first bilateral visit and held discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu. He has acknowledged that India has consistently proven to be a steadfast ally for the island nation and expressed confidence on strengthened bilateral relations.
What did Muizzu's opposition say?
The relations between the two South Asian nations further turned sour when two Maldivian ministers poked fun after Modi posted photographs of the Lakshadweep Islands in January this year. This led to a call for mass boycott by Indian tourists, leading to a slide to the number six spot in mid-2024 from the number one spot in post-COVID years.
Abdulla Shahid, the president of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), expressed happiness to see “the age-old ties between the Maldives-India being revived” and thanked India for remaining “steadfast and resolute with the Maldivian people. He said he was encouraged to see that the projects and initiatives launched during President Ibrahim Solih – considered pro-India – have come to fruition and are being continued.
"What we are seeing is the current administration coming to the realisation that international relations cannot be conducted based on lies and deceit. What we are seeing is the Administration's naivety and inexperience in diplomacy. Hoping that this current trajectory in the relationship with our closest neighbour, friend, and partner, continue," said Shahid.
On the other hand, former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed – who is termed as the architect of the India-Maldives robust relationship during his term – also applauded the turn of events. "India & Maldives are natural partners with so much in common: music, films, food, culture, history and geography. We should always remain friends. So happy to see things fall into place & the relationship fixed," he said on X.
Scores of social media users also recalled Muizzu's anti-India statements and posted screenshots of them with sarcastic messages. “It is crystal clear now that #IndiaOut was a SHAMELESS LIE used by @Mmuizzu to deceive us into voting for him and to SPREAD LIES about @ibusolih's presidency,” said one user on X.
Muizzu's desperate appeal to Indians for tourism
As the Maldives is grappling with a serious economic downturn, India extended a vital budgetary support to the Maldives government with the rollover of a $50 million Treasury Bill for another year. A 'vision document' issued after the bilateral talks between Modi and Muizzu agreed that India will support Maldives with defence platforms and assets to augment the capabilities of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
On Monday, Muizzu made a desperate call to Indian tourists to visit Male-- marking the first such statement by him after two of his ministers triggered a controversy following PM Modi's visit to Lakshadweep. "India is one of our largest tourism source markets and we hope to welcome more Indian tourists to the Maldives," President Muizzu said during a joint press briefing in New Delhi.
Besides tourism, the Maldivian President, who is currently on a five-day visit to India, also hoped to start talks on a Free Trade Agreement. "We look forward to concluding a Free Trade Agreement with India which will enable us to harness our full economic potential. To increase Indian investments in both our tourism and various sectors of development.
The Maldivian President said his nation will not act to undermine India's security and views New Delhi as a 'valued partner and friend', with cooperation in several fields. Earlier, Muizzu has denied having an "India Out" agenda, asserting that the island nation had a "serious problem" with the presence of foreign military on its soil.
(with agency input)
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