Amid Lakshadweep vs Maldives row, the island nation's President Mohamed Muizzu has said that his country may be small but doesn't give them the license to bully us. Muizzu made this remark as he returned to the nation after concluding a five-day China visit.
India and Maldives are in a diplomatic row after three ministers of the Island nation insulted PM Modi.
"We may be small but this doesn't give them the license to bully us," Muizzu said. He is regarded as a pro-China leader, said without naming any country.
"Though we have small islands in this ocean, we have a vast exclusive economic zone of 900,000 square km. Maldives is one of the countries with the biggest share of this ocean,” Muizzu said while speaking to media.
“This ocean does not belong to a specific country. This (Indian) Ocean also belongs to all countries situated in it,” he said.
"We aren’t in anyone’s backyard. We are an independent and sovereign state,” he was quoted as saying by the Maldives Sun Online portal.
During his visit to China, Muizzu held talks with President Xi Jinping after which the two countries signed 20 agreements.
"The two sides agree to continue firmly supporting each other in safeguarding their respective core interests," said a joint statement issued at the end of Muizzu's talks with the top Chinese leaders.
"China firmly supports the Maldives in upholding its national sovereignty, independence and national dignity, respects and supports the Maldives' exploration of a development path that suits its national conditions, and firmly opposes external interference in the internal affairs of the Maldives," the statement said, without referring to any country.
In his media briefing in Male, Muizzu said China has granted USD 130 million in assistance for his country.
Muizzu said the bulk of the USD 130 million assistance will be spent on redeveloping the roads in Male, where the mayor election is being held on Saturday.
With inputs from PTI
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