New Delhi: Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer is visiting India, amid strained ties with New Delhi. He is likely to discuss his country’s pending debt repayments, and the withdrawal of Indian military personnel from Maldives, which is due to be completed on 10 May.
This is the first high-level trip from Male to New Delhi, after Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu won the presidency last year after leading an ‘India-out’ election campaign.
Since assuming office, Muizzu has purchased drones from Turkey for patrolling the country’s maritime area, and made his first official state visit to China, where he inked over 20 agreements.
Meanwhile, he has been tough on India by pushing for the removal of Indian military troops from his country, and refusing to renew an agreement that allows India to conduct hydrographic surveys in Maldivian waters.
After core-level meetings between both sides, India agreed to remove around 70 of its military personnel from the archipelago country, stationed at three aviation platforms, and replace them with technical personnel. The last batch of military personnel will leave on 10 May. Their departure coincides with Maldivian foreign minister’s three-day India visit.
Zameer is expected to hold bilateral talks with External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar.
Departing to New Delhi on my very first bilateral official visit.
Looking forward to meeting my counterpart Minister of External Affairs, Dr. @DrSJaishankar, and discuss deepening and enhancing cooperation between #Maldives and #India for the mutual benefit of our peoples. pic.twitter.com/KJVcNcXQFF
— Moosa Zameer (@MoosaZameer) May 8, 2024
His trip comes after Muizzu’s alliance swept the parliamentary elections, and defeated the opposition parties, which had previously enjoyed a majority in the 93-member majlis, or parliament.
Debt repayment
The Maldives owed approximately $400.9 million to India by the end of last year, and this is an issue expected to be on the agenda for Zameer’s visit to New Delhi. Local reports in Maldives claim that payment of $50 million of the total amount owed is due this month.
In April, Zameer had thanked the Indian government for the renewal of the quota to enable Maldives to import essential commodities from the country for the 2024-2025 period. “This is truly a gesture, which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong commitment to further expand bilateral trade and commerce between our two countries,” the foreign minister had said.
In response, his Indian counterpart Jaishankar had welcomed the development, adding that India stands firmly committed to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ and SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region — policies.
In contrast, Male owed China almost double of what it owes India — over $1 billion. Various Maldivian politicians, including former Maldives vice-president Ahmed Adeeb, have expressed concerns about the country falling deeper into China’s orbit, and becoming economically dependent on Beijing, much like Sri Lanka.
“Maldives needs foreign aid and budget support, because we need to pay off $1 billion in debt, which will be realised in 2026. The government of Maldives needs to think along these lines… We should have balanced the foreign policy and gone for a state visit to India first (instead of China). This way, we could have been friends with everyone and it would have benefitted us much more than being one-sided,” Adeeb had told ThePrint in January.
Earlier this week, Maldives Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal said, “I want to tell Indians to please be a part of Maldives’ tourism. Our economy depends on tourism.”
Earlier this year, Muizzu’s now-suspended deputy ministers had made disparaging remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian people during the PM’s visit to Lakshadweep. Since then, the number of Indian travellers to the Maldives has reduced. Maldivian tour operators have complained of a decline in inquiries and new bookings.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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