External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday told visiting Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer that the development of India-Maldives ties is based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity, amid the frayed ties between the two countries.
Zameer arrived in India a day earlier on his “very first bilateral official visit,” since bilateral ties became strained under President Mohamed Muizzu’s government. The Maldives foreign minister is on a two-day visit to hold talks on deepening the partnership with India. His visit comes as bilateral ties came under severe strain after Muizzu insisted on the withdrawal of some 90 Indian military personnel operating three aviation platforms in the island nation.
Delivering his opening remarks during the meeting with the visiting foreign minister, Jaishankar said, “As close and proximate neighbours, the development of our ties is based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity. As far as India is concerned, these are articulated in our Neighborhood First Policy and SAGAR Mission. I hope our meeting today has enabled us to strengthen the convergence of our perspectives.”
Welcomed FM @MoosaZameer of Maldives this afternoon.My remarks at our talks: pic.twitter.com/T8t64bQxLT
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (Modi Ka Parivar) (@DrSJaishankar) May 9, 2024
‘India has been a first responder’
In his remarks, Jaishankar underlined that India has been a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives. “Our projects have benefited the lives of people in your country. We have also extended financial support on favorable terms. India has been a first responder on numerous occasions,” he said.
“The world is passing through a volatile and uncertain period. In such times, as we saw during covid, during natural disasters and economic difficulties, close partnership between neighbors is of great value. So today, we will be reviewing various dimensions of our ties. It is in our common interest to reach an understanding on how best to take our relationship forward,” the minister added.
India has already withdrawn most of its military personnel. Muizzu had set May 10 as the deadline for the exit of all Indian troops from his country. On Monday, Muizzu’s spokesperson announced that 51 Indian military personnel have left the Maldives and confirmed that the rest would leave the island by May 10 as agreed by the two countries.
The ties strained further after three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory remarks against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media after Modi posted photos and video of the pristine Lakshadweep Islands on India’s west coast on January 6 on his X handle. The Maldivian government suspended the three ministers after opposition leaders slammed the ”appalling language” used by the officials against the Indian leader.
The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in its initiatives like ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’ of the Modi government. “The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and Foreign Minister Zameer’s visit is expected to lend further momentum to the bilateral cooperation between the two countries,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in New Delhi on Tuesday.
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