New Delhi: Amid the ongoing row, Maldives President Mohamad Muizzu, fresh from his China visit, made another indirect jab at India, accusing it of "bullying" his "small" nation."We may be small but this doesn't give them the license to bully us," he said at a press conference on his return from China, according to a viral video.
He also said that the Indian Ocean doesn’t belong to any “specific country” and that Maldives is one of the countries with "the biggest share" due to its large EEZ. President Muizzu's remarks follows bad blood between the two countries after three Maldivian ministers made derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his Lakshwadeep visit.
While the three ministers were dismissed, the incident created tension with various Indian celebrities and companies asking people to avoid visiting the Maldives and taking other action to deter Indians visiting the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.
Meanwhile, a diplomatic row erupted recently over disparaging remarks made by some Maldivian deputy ministers and government officials against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lakshadweep visit.
Several Maldivian politicians, including former presidents and ministers, too, condemned the remarks and reiterated that India was a close and important partner for the island nation.
Meanwhile, in the face of online fury and a flurry of cancellations of scheduled visits to the island country, the Maldivian government distanced itself from the remarks made by its ministers.
Maldivian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Moosa Zameer, said such remarks against foreign leaders were "unacceptable" and did not reflect the official position of the government. Taking a strong exception to the unsavoury remarks, New Delhi summoned the Maldivian envoy and registered a strong protest. With #BoycottMaldives catching on with netizens, prominent faces of the Indian film industry and other leading celebrities came out in support of PM Modi's call to promote beach tourism in Lakshadweep and other tourist destinations in the country. During his ongoing visit, the Maldivian President and Republic of China exchanged 20 key Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) including on Disaster Risk Reduction, Fisheries, Digital Economy, Cooperation Plan on BRI, and Grant Assistance, among others.
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