Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu seeks debt relief from India amid tensions

Maldives President shifts from anti-India stance, seeks debt relief, and emphasizes India as closest ally.

After his anti-India rhetoric, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has struck a reconciliatory tone, saying India will continue to remain his country’s “closest ally” and urged New Delhi to provide debt relief to the archipelago nation.

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The Maldives owed approximately $400.9 million to India by the end of last year.

Ever since he took oath as the President in November last year, the pro-China Maldivian leader has pursued a hardline stand towards India and within hours had demanded that Indian military personnel operating three aviation platforms be repatriated from his country by May 10.

On Thursday, March 21, 2-024, in his first interview with the local media since assuming office, Mr. Muizzu said India was instrumental in providing aid to the Maldives and has implemented the “greatest number” of projects.

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 that carried excerpts of Muizzu’s interview to its Dhivehi language sister-publication ‘Mihaaru.’ Mr. Muizzu’s comments praising India came after the first batch of Indian military personnel left the island nation this month as planned. By May 10, Muizzu had demanded that all 88 military personnel, manning the three Indian aviation platforms, should leave the country.

India has 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.