After the completion of his five-day visit to China, President Muizzu of the Maldives emphasized on Saturday that no country should have the authority to "bully" the island nation.
Muizzu's statement emerged in the midst of a diplomatic dispute between India and the Maldives, triggered by derogatory comments made by Maldivian politicians against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Lakshadweep.
Addressing a press conference, Muizzu stated, "We may be small, but that doesn't give you the license to bully us."
The diplomatic tension escalated when certain Maldivian politicians, including ministers, made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep, interpreting it as an effort to divert tourists from the island country. In response, India raised the matter with the Maldives, leading to the suspension of three ministers from their posts on January 7.
Following this development, the Maldivian envoy to India was summoned to the External Affairs Ministry, where strong concerns were conveyed over disparaging social media posts against PM Modi. The offensive remarks prompted Indian citizens to cancel planned vacations to the Maldives, and online travel company EaseMyTrip suspended flight bookings to the Maldives amid the row.
While President Muizzu was in China for a state visit, he urged the country to "intensify" efforts to attract more tourists to the Maldives. Notably, China was the Maldives' primary market before the Covid-19 pandemic.
It's essential to highlight that President Muizzu won the elections in October last year with a campaign emphasizing an "India Out" stance, pledging the removal of Indian troops from the archipelago.
