Male:

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Monday said the outcome of the general elections has shown the world that Maldivians want “autonomy” in choosing their future and do not want “foreign coercion”.

The pro-China leader made the remarks during the celebratory event held a day after the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) secured a “super majority” in Sunday’s elections to the People’s Majlis.

Muizzu-led People’s National Congress (PNC) party won 68 out of 93 seats in Sunday’s polls and its coalition partners Maldives National Party (MNP) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) won one and two seats, respectively, which is more than two-thirds in Parliament.

Muizzu, who has forced the withdrawal of most of the 88 Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms gifted by India to the Maldives, said, “We are a proud nation that love sovereignty and freedom, which we have shown to the international community as well,” he was quoted as saying by Sun.mv news portal.

He said the parliamentary election outcome is proof Maldivians want to uphold and sustain the Islamic faith and its guiding principles as a core identity in shaping up the country’s future. The President said the outcome of the election is a message to the rest of the world about the Maldivian people’s vision and objectives.

The parliamentary election result was also to prove Maldivians want “autonomy in choosing their future, without foreign coercion,” President Muizzu said, without naming any country.

He has previously accused India of meddling in the affairs of the Maldives and won the presidential elections in September last year with an “India Out” campaign.

“It has also become evident for those with other hidden agendas, what Maldivians want. So, I urge them to let go of dissidence, now that the elections are over,” the president said.

Since assuming office in November last year, he has visited China and cemented Male’s ties with Beijing, including in the defence sector.

Muizzu said Maldivians were looking ahead at a bright future.

He said the efforts in ensuring Maldives was headed in the right direction, following the earlier presidential election victory, has been upheld with Sunday’s super majority win.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), led by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as a pro-India leader, won only 15 seats this time.

The parliamentary majority for the PNC would give Muizzu the legislative backing to shape the foreign policy of the strategically placed archipelagic state in the Indian Ocean geographically located close to India’s southern coast.

In his address, Muizzu also called on political leaders to move forward with the development of the country.

“I now wish to leave the differences. The election is over. I just very politely, happily call on all politicians and all political parties to move forward. This country belongs to all of us. This country belongs to every Dhvehi citizen Let’s move forward together. Hopefully we will all have that happiness,” he was quoted as saying by Adhadhu.com.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Male:

Ahead of the parliamentary polls in the Maldives, the opposition parties have demanded a probe and impeachment of President Mohamed Muizzu following the leaked report of his alleged corruption from 2018, a charge dismissed by him.

Elections to the Majlis are to be held on Sunday and the atmosphere has been vitiated by the trading of charges between the main opposition the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC).

Local media reports have highlighted that the political storm started on Monday with an anonymous handle ‘Hassan Kurusee’ posting on social media X leaked intelligence reports, including documents prepared by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Maldives Monetary Authority and the Maldives Police Service that allegedly linked President Muizzu to corruption.

“These reports, dated circa 2018, claim irregularities in money transfers to President Muizzu’s personal bank account, highlighting 10 critical red flag indicators of financial misconduct. These indicators suggest involvement with politically exposed persons, embezzlement, structured transactions, and the use of corporate entities to hide fund origins,” news portal Maldives Republic (mvrepublic.com) reported.

The allegations soon created a political storm with several reactions pouring in on various social media channels. News portals and newspapers, however, tread with caution. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and People’s National Front (PNF) demanded an investigation into the matter.

Former Vice President Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed urged Muizzu’s impeachment following the leaked intelligence reports. Taking to his social media handle X, Jameel reposted these documents, emphasising the need for accountability at all levels of governance.

Apart from demanding Muizzu’s impeachment, Jameel, a senior member of the Progressive Party of Maldives, “also accused President Muizzu of extensive corruption in his flagship Ras Male’ development project and alleged excessive spending on public relations. Jameel has called on President Muizzu to cooperate with independent investigations into these allegations,” mvrepublic.com said.

The news portal also claimed that this was the first time an FIU report was leaked and said, there has been no official confirmation or response from government bodies regarding the legitimacy of the reports or the allegations.

Adhadhu.com reported that President Muizzu responded late on Tuesday night to corruption allegations declaring that the opposition “cannot show any wrongdoing on his part regardless of how far attempts to implicate him are taken” and also accused the opposition of leaking the reports out of desperation.

“The same allegations had been made during his campaigns for mayor and President,” he said adding, the response would also be the same as before.

“While you attempt to pin something on me like this, you couldn’t do it before and you can’t do it now. There’s nothing you can show against me no matter how far you take this,” Adhadhu.com said, quoting the President.

Atoll Times gave a detailed account of what President Muizzu said in his defence, including how he would “never compromise the rights of the people and that no matter how many such allegations are made, nobody will be able to show anything done in such a manner.” “The last five years opposition was in government, if there was anything done wrong, it would have come to light,” Muizzu said.

“The President’s remarks came after the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and People’s National Front (PNF) called on the relevant authorities to investigate the serious allegations against the President. But no government investigative agency has yet to comment on the issue,” Adhadhu.com reported.

A total of 368 candidates are contesting for 93 seats in this year’s parliamentary elections on April 21, according to media reports. The outcome of the elections will determine whether the opposition parties can act against President Muizzu, who assumed charge in November last year. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu
| Photo Credit: AP

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has alleged that his predecessor, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, operated on orders from “a foreign ambassador.”

Mr. Muizzu, however, neither named any country nor any diplomat. The president made the allegation when he was asked about criticism from the opposition regarding the recent procurement of military drones during an interview with the Public Service Media (PSM). The interview was aired on Thursday night local time.

Parliamentary elections coming up

Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the main opposition, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has scaled up the attacks on Mr. Muizzu on various issues.

Earlier in the month, it was announced that Maldives has, for the first time, acquired surveillance drones from Turkey for patrolling its vast exclusive economic zone and efforts have begun by the state to establish a drone base in Noonu Atoll Maafaru to operate the military drones.

Responding to the question about criticism about drones, President Muizzu noted that the main opposition MDP, when it held office from 2018-2023, also held a supermajority in the Parliament.

“However, the party failed to protect Maldives’ independence, leaving it in the hands of a foreign country,” Mr. Muizzu was quoted as saying by Sun.mv, a news portal.

Mr. Muizzu further said that President Solih “had operated on orders from a foreign ambassador, which resulted in extensive damage,” according to the news portal.

However, he did not specify which foreign country he was referring to, it said. “We had lost independence in all senses of the word, including economically. After having done all this, they would naturally not accept our efforts to remedy all this and put the country on a track that the Maldivian people want, towards a ‘Dhiveheenge Raajje’,” he said.

Dhivehi Raajje in Dhivehi, the language of the people of Maldives, means ‘Kingdom of the Dhivehi people.’

Maldives – India – China

On March 4, Mr. Muizzu announced that his country is working to establish a 24/7 monitoring system for the Maldivian waters this month to ensure control of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) despite its significantly large area. Regarding the cost of the drones, President Muizzu said that while he believes in transparency, such military secrets aren’t disclosed by any country.

“In such matters that are crucial to national security, I am heavily reliant on counsel from our chief of defence force and our generals. Therefore, I will follow their counsel, and I will listen to them,” he said.

The president also said that no value can be attached to the independence of Maldives, and that it is in fact “priceless.”

The People’s National Congress (PNC) administration accuses the former administration of getting overly dependent on India, while the MDP accuses the incumbent administration of ruining age-old ties with India and fostering closer ties with China, Sun.mv said.

Male:

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu must stop being “stubborn” and seek dialogue with neighbours to overcome the financial challenges, his predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said. Solih made these remarks days after Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, urged India to provide debt relief to the archipelago nation.

Muizzu, 45, defeated Solih, 62, in the presidential election held in September last year.

Speaking at an event in Male’ to rally support for Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary candidates contesting four constituencies in Maafannu, Solih said he had seen media reports that suggest Muizzu wants to talk to India for debt restructuring.

But the financial challenges are not caused by Indian loans, Solih was quoted as saying by Adhadhu.com news portal.

Maldives has a debt of MVR 18 billion owed to China compared to MVR 8 billion owed to India, Solih said, adding that the repayment period is 25 years.

“However, I am confident that our neighbours will help. We must stop being stubborn and seek dialogue. There are many parties that can help us. But he [Muizzu] doesn’t want to compromise. I feel they [the government] are starting to understand the situation only now,” Solih said.

The former president said the government was deceiving the public and relaunching projects initiated by the MDP government. He said ministers are now lying to cover up those lies.

Muizzu criticised India during and after the presidential election campaign and relations between the two countries have deteriorated since he assumed office in November.

He has demanded the complete withdrawal of 88 Indian military personnel manning three aviation platforms used for humanitarian and medical evacuations in the Maldives by May 10. The first batch of 26 Indian military personnel have already left the island nation and were replaced by civilians.

In his first media interview, Muizzu claimed that he has not taken any action or made any statements that may strain the relationship between the two countries.

India will continue to remain the Maldives’ closest ally, he said and emphasised that there was no question about it, Maldives news portal Edition.mv said in a report on Thursday.

Muizzu’s conciliatory comments towards India came ahead of Parliament elections in Maldives slated to be held on April 21.

He is yet to visit India although it has been four months since the new government took over. The first overseas trip by Maldivian presidents had always been to India, the report noted. However, Muizzu visited China in January, making his first state visit.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Male, Maldives:

Maldives will not renew an agreement with India to conduct hydrographic surveys and plans to acquire the facilities and machines required to do the exercise by itself, President Mohamed Muizzu has announced.

Mr Muizzu also announced that his country is working to establish a 24X7 monitoring system for the Maldivian waters this month to ensure control of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) despite its significantly large area.

The development comes days after China signed a defence cooperation agreement with the Maldives to provide free military assistance to foster “stronger” bilateral ties.

India-Maldives ties have suffered a setback ever since Mr Muizzu, who is blindly pro-China, assumed office last year. Hours after he took oath in November 2023, one of the first steps Mr Muizzu took, was to demand India to withdraw all its troops.

Mr Muizzu’s new announcement comes days after a Chinese research and ‘spy’ vessel spent about a week around Male and more than a month just outside Maldives’ EEZ.

Speaking at a ceremony at one of the islands that he was visiting on Monday, Mr Muizzu said, the Maldives Ministry of Defence is making efforts to obtain the facilities required for conducting the hydrographic surveys by the country itself.

“This will allow Maldives to conduct the underwater surveys of the country by ourselves. We will then acquire all insights of our underwater features and prepare charts, they will be drawn by us,” the president was quoted as saying by Edition.mv, a news portal on Tuesday.

Maldives’ former administration, led by then President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, had signed an agreement with the Indian government to conduct hydrographic surveys of Maldives’ underwater features.

“We decided not to renew the agreement entered into with the Indian government to scan and acquire all insights into our underwater bodies. All these underwater details are our property, our heritage,” Mr Muizzu said and claimed the Maldives earlier needed to purchase all such maps and survey data from India.

This is the first time that Mr Muizzu has publicly commented about the hydrographic survey plans of his government. His government has earlier announced that it reviewing more than 100 agreements signed with India by the previous regimes.

The most recent hydrographic survey carried out in collaboration with India’s Hydrography Office was launched in January 2021 as part of the agreement signed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 during his visit to Maldives.

“The former President had obtained the approval of the parliament to facilitate this hydrography services in the Maldives and confer the facility to the Defence Ministry,” the Edition.mv reported.

Meanwhile, two days earlier, Mr Muizzu, while visiting yet another atoll on Saturday said, his government has vowed to begin work on and establish a 24X7 monitoring system of the Maldivian waters in March.

Speaking with the locals of Raa Meedhoo, the President highlighted that the area of sea is twice as large as the entire land mass of the Maldives and noted that the Maldives “has not been in control of its Exclusive Economic Zone despite its significantly large area.”

“Although the EEZ is part of our territory, we did not have the capacity to monitor the area. God willing, our work (to monitor the Maldivian waters) will commence in March. We will establish a 24X7 monitoring system during this month,” Sun.mv, a news portal reported, quoting the President.

The Maldives Coastguard currently seeks regular assistance from the militaries of neighbouring countries, and carries out some of the special patrolling operations with foreign allies, the news portal said.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10, a media report said on March 5.

Mr. Muizzu’s statement comes less than a week after an Indian civilian team reached the Maldives to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, well ahead of the March 10 deadline agreed by the two nations for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.

“Addressing the Baa atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour across the atoll, the President stated that due to his government’s success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours, are attempting to twist the situation,” a news portal Edition.mv reported.

“That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” the portal quoted Mr. Muizzu, widely regarded as a pro-China leader, as saying.

“There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence,” he said, on a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.

Earlier last month, after a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and the first phase of the process would be completed by March 10. In his maiden address to Parliament on February 5, he made similar remarks.

There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

Mr. Muizzu rode to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of taking oath demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Edition.mv further reported that while the first troops to depart the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu atoll Kahdhoo are also expected to leave ahead of May 10.

India had agreed to remove their troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.

“The Opposition has been directing criticism at the administration asserting that the Indian personnel sent to Maldives as civilians are in reality military officials out of uniform and that the government has no way to ascertain otherwise,” the portal claimed.

Meanwhile, local media reports also said that Maldives has successfully tied up with Sri Lanka to run flights for medical evacuation last week, further indicating that it is bent on removing all Indian troops in whichever category.

Further highlighting that securing true independence is a concept he regards with utmost priority, the President remarked that the State is exerting efforts with due importance “to regain the southern maritime area deprived of the country in addition to expelling Indian troops from the Maldives.”

“I am confident we can achieve this. The delay in concluding this task is due to the adverse procedures practiced during the implementation. It was done without even taking the matter to the Parliament … in violation of the Constitution as well,” the portal quoted the President as saying.

The Maldives’ proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland’s western coast and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.

The Maldives has been India’s key maritime neighbour in the IOR and it occupies a special place in its initiatives such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy.’

Male, Maldives:

Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10, a media report said today.

President Muizzu’s statement comes less than a week after an Indian civilian team reached the Maldives to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, well ahead of the March 10 deadline agreed by the two nations for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.

Addressing the Baa atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour across the atoll, the President stated that due to his government’s success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours, are attempting to twist the situation, a news portal Edition.mv reported.

“That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” the portal quoted Mr Muizzu, widely regarded as a China-backed leader, as saying.

“There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence,” he said, on a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.

Earlier last month, after a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and the first phase of the process would be completed by March 10.

In his maiden address to Parliament on February 5, he made similar remarks.

There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

Mr Muizzu rode to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of taking oath demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Edition.mv further reported that while the first troops to depart the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu atoll Kahdhoo are also expected to leave ahead of May 10.

India had agreed to remove their troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.

The Opposition has been directing criticism at the administration asserting that the Indian personnel sent to Maldives as civilians are in reality military officials out of uniform and that the government has no way to ascertain otherwise, the portal claimed.

Meanwhile, local media reports also said that Maldives has successfully tied up with Sri Lanka to run flights for medical evacuation last week, further indicating that it is bent on removing all Indian troops in whichever category.

Further highlighting that securing true independence is a concept he regards with utmost priority, the President remarked that the State is exerting efforts with due importance “to regain the southern maritime area deprived of the country in addition to expelling Indian troops from the Maldives.”

“I am confident we can achieve this. The delay in concluding this task is due to the adverse procedures practiced during the implementation. It was done without even taking the matter to the parliament … in violation of the Constitution as well,” the portal quoted the President as saying.

The Maldives’ proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland’s western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.

The Maldives has been India’s key maritime neighbour in the IOR and it occupies a special place in its initiatives such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy.’
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Male, Maldives:

Stepping up his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has affirmed that no Indian military personnel, not even those in civilian clothing, would be present inside his country after May 10, a media report said today.

President Muizzu’s statement comes less than a week after an Indian civilian team reached the Maldives to take charge of one of the three aviation platforms in the island nation, well ahead of the March 10 deadline agreed by the two nations for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel.

Addressing the Baa atoll Eydhafushi residential community during his tour across the atoll, the President stated that due to his government’s success in expelling Indian troops from the country, people who spread false rumours, are attempting to twist the situation, a news portal Edition.mv reported.

“That these people [Indian military] are not departing, that they are returning after changing their uniforms into civilian clothing. We must not indulge such thoughts that instil doubts in our hearts and spread lies,” the portal quoted Mr Muizzu, widely regarded as a China-backed leader, as saying.

“There will be no Indian troops in the country come May 10. Not in uniform and not in civilian clothing. The Indian military will not be residing in this country in any form of clothing. I state this with confidence,” he said, on a day when his country signed an agreement with China to receive free military aid.

Earlier last month, after a high-level meeting in Delhi on February 2 between the two sides, the Maldivian foreign ministry said India would replace its military personnel operating the three aviation platforms in the Maldives by May 10 and the first phase of the process would be completed by March 10.

In his maiden address to Parliament on February 5, he made similar remarks.

There are 88 military personnel manning the three Indian platforms that have been providing humanitarian and medical evacuation services to the people of the Maldives for the last few years using two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft.

Mr Muizzu rode to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of taking oath demanded India to remove its personnel from the strategically located archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Edition.mv further reported that while the first troops to depart the country are the Indian military personnel operating the two helicopters in Addu City, the military personnel present in Haa Dhaalu atoll Hanimaadhoo and Laamu atoll Kahdhoo are also expected to leave ahead of May 10.

India had agreed to remove their troops from Maldives under the condition that a number of their civilians equivalent to the military presence are brought to operate the aircraft.

The Opposition has been directing criticism at the administration asserting that the Indian personnel sent to Maldives as civilians are in reality military officials out of uniform and that the government has no way to ascertain otherwise, the portal claimed.

Meanwhile, local media reports also said that Maldives has successfully tied up with Sri Lanka to run flights for medical evacuation last week, further indicating that it is bent on removing all Indian troops in whichever category.

Further highlighting that securing true independence is a concept he regards with utmost priority, the President remarked that the State is exerting efforts with due importance “to regain the southern maritime area deprived of the country in addition to expelling Indian troops from the Maldives.”

“I am confident we can achieve this. The delay in concluding this task is due to the adverse procedures practiced during the implementation. It was done without even taking the matter to the parliament … in violation of the Constitution as well,” the portal quoted the President as saying.

The Maldives’ proximity to India, barely 70 nautical miles from the island of Minicoy in Lakshadweep and 300 nautical miles from the mainland’s western coast, and its location at the hub of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) gives it significant strategic importance.

The Maldives has been India’s key maritime neighbour in the IOR and it occupies a special place in its initiatives such as SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy.’
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Maldivian Minister of Defence Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon and Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director at China’s Office for International Military Cooperation, held bilateral discussions on Monday.

 Days after a technical team from India arrived in the Maldives, to replace troops that President Mohamed Muizzu wanted removed, the Maldivian Defence Ministry announced signing a military pact with China.

Maldives’s Minister of Defence Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon and Major General Zhang Baoqun, Deputy Director at China’s Office for International Military Cooperation, on Monday signed an agreement on “China’s provision of military assistance gratis to the Republic of Maldives, fostering stronger bilateral ties”, the Maldivian Defence Ministry said. The two sides also held bilateral talks on military cooperation.

The Ministry’s post on social media platform ‘X’ did not mention details of what the agreement entails.  The development is in line with the two countries agreeing to “elevate” China-Maldives relations to a “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership”, during Mr. Muizzu’s five-day state visit to China in January this year.  

Also read: Maldives, China agree to ‘elevate’ strategic cooperation

It also coincides with New Delhi’s apparent compromise with Male, agreeing to withdraw its troops stationed in the island nation, instead replacing them with a technical team to help operate India-gifted aircraft. The decision was made amid Mr. Muizzu’s persistent calls for the removal of Indian troops, a campaign promise-turned-official pledge made by the leader. Following bilateral discussions between a high-level core group, the two sides in early February reached a consensus on Indian troops leaving the Indian Ocean archipelago by May 10, 2024, in phases.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s recent comments at an event in New Delhi, where he said: “big bullies don’t provide USD 4.5 billion in aid when the neighbours are in trouble,” referring to Indian assistance to Sri Lanka during its crisis in 2022, have drawn wide attention in the Maldives.

Interpreting it as a “swipe at” Mr. Muizzu, the statement has been reported widely by Maldivian media, which linked Mr. Jaishankar’s remarks to Mr. Muizzu’s comments to local media soon after his return from China in January. “Maldives may be small, but that doesn’t  give others the licence to bully the country,” Mr. Muizzu had said.