Editorial: Time to reset ties

Maldivian Foreign Minister set the right tone when he asserted that the two countries must strengthen traditional relations

The ice-breaking visit of Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer to India provides an opportunity to reset bilateral ties that suffered a blow recently. In fact, the visiting leader set the right tone when he asserted that the two countries must put the bitterness of the recent past firmly behind them and look ahead to strengthen the traditional relations. He went on to promise that the island country was taking appropriate action to ensure that ‘derogatory remarks’, made against India in the past, were not repeated. The sentiments expressed by him, during his meeting with his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, must be welcomed. India’s relations with the Maldives rest on the twin important pillars of mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity. An unsavoury saga created tensions in the bilateral relations a couple of months ago when three Maldivian ministers — Mariyam Shiuna, Malsha Sharif and Hassan Zihan — made “derogatory remarks” targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi following his visit to Lakshadweep to promote domestic tourism. They were subsequently suspended. The ties were further strained after President Mohamed Muizzu set a May 10 deadline for Indian military personnel to leave the archipelago nation. Tourism, the backbone of the Maldivian economy, took a severe beating as the anti-India remarks, amplified by the social media posts, triggered angry reactions from India with many Indians cancelling their plans to visit the popular tourist destination. The flow of tourists from India dipped 42% in the first four months of this year compared to the same period in 2023.

While the Maldives received 73,785 tourists from India between January and April of 2023, tourist arrivals stood at 42,638 in the same period this year — a decline of 31,147 tourists in absolute terms. The dip in arrivals from India resulted in a revenue loss of Rs 468 crore, prompting Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal to make a fervent appeal to Indians to be part of his country’s tourism as its economy depended on it. It is an indisputable fact that economic cooperation with India has been integral to the Maldivian economy. The Maldivian people have benefited from the debt and numerous grants from India. It must be pointed out that India was always the first nation to come to the rescue of the tiny island nation, be it the tsunami in 2004 or the drinking water crisis a decade later. India was never found wanting in providing assistance, humanitarian or military. Though the presence of a small group of Indian military personnel, mostly for humanitarian roles, poses no threat to Maldivian sovereignty, Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) had whipped up anti-Indian sentiments and campaigned on ‘India Out’ plank, seeking to oust the Indian military personnel from the country. The PNC’s landslide victory in last month’s parliamentary election has further entrenched Muizzu’s hold over the country’s political landscape.

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