Muizzu attends Modi oath, Maldives orders reviews of India pacts

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Maldives orders reviews of pacts with India while Muizzu held parleys with Modi

By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, June 11: After over four months of his election, Maldives President Mohammed Muizzu visited India to attend the oath ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India picked up Maldives along with key Indian Ocean and neighbouring nations for the oath ceremony to stress the priority in the foreign affairs.

Modi sat alongside Muizzu during the dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu for the foreign dignitaries who attended the oath ceremony in the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The two leaders reportedly discussed a wide-ranging issue in the India and Maldives bilateral relations.

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But Maldivian parliament at the same time was sharpening actions against India. Reports said that the Maldivian parliament has ordered reviews of key pacts signed by the previous government in Male which was headed by Ibrahim Solih. While Muizzu led an ‘Out India’ campaign in the elections in Maldives, Solih is known to be friendly with India.

The local media report in Maldives quoted MP Ahmed Azan saying that a parliamentary committee will examine three pacts signed by the Solih government with India. This includes a joint hydrographic survey by the navies of India and Maldives in the waters of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

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The committee will also examine the use of the Dornier aircrafts, which were gifted by India to Maldives. The construction of the Uthuru Thilafalhu dockyard with the involvement of India will also be reviewed, said the media reports from Male.

Muizzu had visited China soon after becoming president of Maldives. Inviting scorn of India, Muizzu had signed strategic partnership pact with China during his visit to Beijing.

China recently gifted layers of glaciers to Maldives to address the drinking water shortages in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Also, Maldives hosted a Chinese survey ship which is known to be a spy vessel in the security establishment.

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Maldives also is sharply toeing the Chinese line in its foreign policy. Recently, Male banned Israeli passport holders from visiting Maldives.

India and Maldives relations nosedived after the election of Muizzu in March this year. Later, Modi’s Lakshadweep visit was widely interpreted as India’s warning to Maldives by diverting the Indian tourists from the beaches of the Indian Ocean archipelago.

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