Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on Friday denied having espoused an “India Out” policy and claimed that he only advocated removing foreign military personnel from the country.
He was quoted as saying by Maldivian news portal Adhadhu that the people of his country did not “want a single foreign soldier” on their land.
“We have never been against any one country at any point,” Muizzu said in New York, where he was attending the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. “It’s not ‘India Out’. Maldives faced a serious problem with foreign military presence on this soil.”
Muizzu, considered to hold a favourable stance towards China, had led an “India Out” campaign during the tenure of his predecessor Ibrahim Solih, protesting his policies that were perceived to be friendly towards New Delhi. Removing foreign military from the archipelago was a key poll promise for Muizzu before he became the president on November 17.
India was the only foreign power with a military presence in the Maldives. A group of Indian defence personnel had been maintaining radar stations and surveillance aircraft in the archipelago. Indian warships also helped patrol the Maldives’ exclusive economic zone.
On May 10, Maldives said that India had withdrawn all its military personnel from the archipelago.
Muizzu also said on Friday that he had taken action against deputy ministers for making derogatory comments about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to Adhadhu.
“No one should say such a thing,” the Maldivian president said. “I took action against it. I will not accept insulting anyone like that, whether he is a leader or an ordinary person. Every human being has a reputation.”
The remarks had led to an online uproar in India in January, after which Ministry of External Affairs had summoned Maldivian High Commissioner to India Ibrahim Shaheeb to discuss the matter.
On Friday, Muizzu also told ANI that he was planning to visit India as soon as possible, adding that the two countries have very strong ties. He last came to India to attend Prime Minister Modi’s swearing-in on June 9.
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