India will continue to remain Maldives’ closest ally – Muizzu

• Maldives Pro-China and anti-India President takes a softer stand

• Muizzu seeks debt relief from India

President of Maldives Mohamad Muizzu

Male (Maldives) – Since becoming the President of Maldives, Mohammed Muizzu has been following an anti India and pro-China policy. But now it seems that he has softened his stance on India. He said that ‘India will continue to remain our closest ally’. He also demanded debt relief from India. By the end of 2023, Maldives owes an estimated USD 409 million (over Rs 3,400 crore) to India.

In a recent interview with local media, Muizzu said that ‘India has played an important role in providing aid to Maldives and facilitated maximum number of projects. There is no doubt that India will remain a close ally of Maldives. Maldives has borrowed heavily from India. We are currently in discussions with the Government of India to explore options for repayment of the loan depending on the financial capacity of the Maldives.’

Muizzu speaks on removing Indian soldiers from Maldives

Responding to a question about Indian soldiers in Maldives, Muizzu said that ‘this is the only case of a dispute with India over the presence of Indian troops in the Maldives. India has also accepted this situation and has agreed to recall the soldiers. It is not right to reject or ignore aid given by one country to another. We have not taken any step, which will create tension in the relations between the two countries. The Government worked to find a reasonable solution through discussions to deal with the issue of Indian troops in the Maldives.’

Editorial Perspective

Anti-India Muizzu is now adopting a moderate policy towards India after facing strong backlash within his own country. It is no secret that Muizzu’s friendliness towards India is fake. The Indian Government should never fall prey to the lies of Muizzu, who ran ‘India Out’ campaign during Maldivian elections, consistently opposed India and asked to withdraw the Indian Army from Maldives. India should continue its firm policy towards Maldives and show Muizzu his place.