The Indian capital, New Delhi, will host the event on May 10, and it will be watched closely by every authority figure in the entire country. Today, Moosa Zameer, the Foreign Minister of the Maldives, will travel to India and meet his equivalent, S. Jaishankar, the External Foreign Minister of India.
It will be the first visit for the Maldives Foreign Minister since he assumed office. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two leaders will discuss issues of common interest, both bilateral and regional.
Maldives’ Foreign Minister First Visit To India
The Foreign Minister for Maldives Moosa Zameer will travel to the Indian capital today and will meet S. Jaishankar to discuss on various issues happening in Maldives and so on. The MEA stated that ‘Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and Foreign Minister Zameer’s visit is expected to lend further momentum to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries.’
Arrived in New Delhi on my first bilateral official visit to India! 🇮🇳 Looking forward to productive discussions, strengthening ties, and experiencing the vibrant culture of #India pic.twitter.com/kucRaSa8aH
— Moosa Zameer (@MoosaZameer) May 8, 2024
It will be the first visit for the Maldivian Foreign Minister to India since he assumed office last year. But he interacted with the External Foreign Minister, S. Jaishankar after they met earlier in the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
All eyes will be on the meeting, which comes at a crucial time when the relationship between the countries is strained because of the Maldives’ strong anti-Indian statements. It also comes after a day, before Mohamed Muizzu, the President of the Maldives, demanded a total evacuation of the Indian army and personnel from the Maldives.
‘India Out’ Campaign in Maldives
Last year, the Maldives parliament and people chose Mohamed Muizzu as their new president, and with that, the idea of removing the Indian authorities’ grip on the Maldives came. Mohammad Muizzu is already a Pro-China supporter and in fact his election’s campaign slogan was ‘India Out‘ campaign which aims at a total wipeout or evacuation of Indian army and personnel from Maldives.
He even contacted the Indian army to leave the country in two stages: the first group would be leaving on March 10, and the second group should leave by May 10. He also refused to resign the current hydrographic agreement, which was signed in 2019, and it allows the Indians to thoroughly investigate the territorial waters of the island country.
Mohamed Muizzu said that they had officially informed the Indian authorities that the Maldives would not renew the agreement, which would give Indians the power to create maps for the Maldives’ limits and boundaries with the seabed.
After Mohamed Muizzu’s returned from China, he stated that ‘The Maldives is not in any country’s backyard. We may be small but that doesn’t give you the license to bully us.’
Muizzu Ministers Made Derogatory Statements Against Modi
In January, a huge diplomatic clash broke out between the Maldivian and India government after Mohamed Muizzu’s ministers made derogatory statements against PM Modi on his visit to Lakshadweep. In reacting to Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, the ministers even called him a ‘clown’ and a puppet of Israel‘.
This statement angered various Indians and celebrities who told the public on social media to skip the islands and visit Indian tourist spots. After hearing such vile statements against an Indian authority, the Maldivian government suspended the three ministers, but the damage was already done as the Maldives experienced a significant dip in their economy.
Muizzu’s Reconcilatary Stand With India
After the anti-Indian statements by the Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, he attempted to strike a friendly note with many suggesting that Zameer’s visit in India is move to the reconcilation direction.
He even called India Maldives’ ‘closest ally’ and requested that New Delhi provide debt relief to their country. Ibrahim Fasal, the Maldivian tourism minister requested that the Indians visit the island country for vacations and said that they have a history, and their newly elected government is trying its best to work with the Indian authorities. They also want peace and an affectionate environment between both nations.
