Thaw in ties? Maldives foreign minister meets Jaishankar
The Maldivian foreign minister met Jaishankar and held a discussion on debt relief and the possibility of a visit by President Mohamed Muizzu to India in the near future
Signalling a thaw in bilateral relations between India and Maldives, minister of foreign affairs of Maldives Moosa Zameer on Thursday (May 9) met his Indian counterpart external affairs minister S Jaishankar in Delhi in an apparent attempt to mend ties.
According to news agency ANI, the Maldivian foreign minister met Jaishankar and held a discussion on debt relief to his home country from India and the possibility of a visit by President Mohamed Muizzu to India in the near future.
When asked about President Muizzu’s visit to China after winning elections, Zameer defended the Maldivian President’s decision and said though his visit to Delhi was very much on the cards, it was put off keeping in mind the convenience of both countries rather than any underlying geopolitical shift.
"The President visited Turkey as well as China. I think that mainly for convenience because obviously, we 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," Zameer was quoted as saying.
"So, in fact, even today, with my discussions with the external affairs minister, we are discussing the President's visit to Delhi very soon. Hopefully," the Maldivian Foreign Minister added.
On a possible military alliance with India’s arch rival China, Zameer said, “I don't think there is any military pact with China. One thing the President of Maldives has clearly said is that we are not bringing in any foreign militaries in the Maldives, no, we are not.”
Bilateral ties nosedive
In a unprecedented move, President Muizzu, who is seen as being pro-China, ordered India to remove its military from the Maldivian soil in November last year after wining the presidential election, taking bilateral ties to a nadir, and set a deadline for last of the military personnel manning the three platforms to leave the country by May 10.
Media reports say Maldives has entered into a military-aid pact with China after the first batch of Indian military personnel left its shores.
Sharing pictures of his meeting with Jaishankar on X, the Maldivian foreign minister said they reflected on the long history of bilateral ties rooted in mutual respect and understanding. “A pleasure to meet with H.E. @DrSJaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of India, in New Delhi. We reflected on our long history of bilateral partnership shared by mutual respect and understanding,” Zameer wrote on X.
“We exchanged perspectives on increasing engagement and exchange between Maldives and India, both bilaterally and in the international arena,” he added.
No repeat of derogatory acts
What worsened ties between the two neighbours was a derogatory remark made by Maldives deputy minister Mariyam Shiuna against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had suggested the need to promote tourism in Lakshadweep while paying a visit to one of the islands.
Zameer assured that Maldives is taking “proper action” so that there is no repeat of such acts in the future.
“I think if you have seen, like you said, we have said that it's not the stand of the government or it's not the view of the government. And we believe it shouldn't have been done. And then we are taking proper action to make sure that this doesn't repeat,” the Maldivian foreign minister said.