Page 2 - India In Maldives

China fully backs sovereignty of Maldives, says President Mohamed Muizzu

During his just-concluded visit to China, Muizzu, regarded as a pro-China leader, sought to align Maldives closer to Beijing and both countries elevated their ties to a strategic partnership

President Muizzu's party loses Male Mayoral poll amid India-Maldives row

In a setback to Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has secured a landslide victory in the capital Male's Mayoral election. The MDP candidate, Adam Azim, has been elected as the new mayor of Male, a post held by Muizzu till recently. Muizzu resigned from the position to contest the presidential elections last year. The Maldives media reported Azim's win as a landslide and victory by a large margin. The MDP is headed by pro-India former president Mohammad Solih, who was defeated by Muizzu, a pro-China leader, in the presidential elections. The interim results show that Azim won with 45 per cent of the vote while Azima Shakoor of Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) received 29 per cent, PSM News reported. Others who vied for the mayoral seat included Saif Fathih, the candidate of The Democrats, and independent candidates Hussain Waheed and Ali Shuaib. The poll on Saturday was marked by a low turnout, according to ...

Maldivian President Muizzu asks India to withdraw troops by March 15

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has asked India to withdraw its military personnel from his country by March 15, a senior official here said on Sunday, nearly two months after Male sought their removal. According to the latest government figures, there are 88 Indian military personnel in the Maldives. In a press briefing, Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, the public policy secretary at the President's Office, said that President Muizzu has formally asked India to withdraw its military personnel by March 15, the SunOnline newspaper reported. Indian military personnel cannot stay in the Maldives. This is the policy of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and that of this administration, he said. Maldives and India have set up a high-level core group to negotiate the withdrawal of troops. The group held its first meeting at the Foreign Ministry Headquarters in Male' on Sunday morning. The meeting was also attended by Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar, the report said. Nazim confirmed the meeting

Maldives' ruling coalition deployed anti-India sentiments during 2023 polls

The ruling coalition of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC) deployed anti-India sentiments and attempted to spread disinformation around this theme during the on the 2023 presidential elections, according to a report issued by the European Union. The European Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Maldives published its final report on Tuesday on the two rounds of election that took place on September 9 and 30 last year. Following an 11-week-long observation in the archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean, upon the invitation of national authorities, the EU EOM found the campaign run by the PPM-PNC coalition was based on fears of Indian influences on the nation. "EU EOM observers noted instances of derogatory language, directed towards the president, on the side of PPM-PNC, reads the report. Their campaign included anti-Indian sentiments, based on fears of Indian influences and anxiety regarding a presence of Indian military personnel insid

Anti-India narratives in Maldives fostered by foreign powers: Male official

Amid an ongoing diplomatic row with the Maldives, Syed Tanveer Nasreen, the former director of the Indian Cultural Centre in the island nation, has underscored that the prevailing situation is not isolated but a manifestation of a prolonged anti-India sentiment, fostered by foreign powers. Nasreen, who served as the director of the Indian Cultural Centre at the High Commission of India in Male, Republic of Maldives, from 2019 to 2023, shared insights into the growing influence of China and Pakistan in countering India's soft power. In an interview with PTI, she lamented the ongoing diplomatic row as "unfortunate" and cautioned against reactionary sentiments such as the "Boycott Maldives" movement, viewing them as potential fuel for the "India Out" campaign and undue importance of the now-suspended Maldivian ministers' remarks on social media, targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "What has been going on is very unfortunate, and I condemn the remarks made by the now-deposed three .

Maldives Foreign Minister calls remarks against PM Modi 'unacceptable'

In a post shared on X, Zameer stated, "The recent remarks against foreign leaders and our close neighbours are unacceptable and do not reflect the official position of the Government of Maldives"

Maldives opts out of hydrology agreement with Indian Navy signed in 2019

The Maldives has decided to pull out of the 2019 agreement for cooperation in the field of hydrology between Indian Navy and Maldives National Defence Force

When should India employ hard power in Maldives?

Greater prosperity and a change in world order demand that we counter threats before they touch the homeland