As Indian tourists continue to skip Maldives, the number of arrivals from the country has declined by 33% amid the diplomatic row with the Island nation and India has now dropped to the 6th spot on visitor rankings.
However, former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who is currently in India, voiced his concerns about the ramifications of India's boycott call against his nation, particularly in the context of tourism. He issued an apology on behalf of the Maldivian people and while speaking to ANI, emphasised the people's wish for Indian tourists to continue visiting the country.
Diplomatic tensions between India and the Maldives peaked after President Mohamed Muizzu, who is often perceived as pro-China, announced plans to expel all Indian military troops from the nation by March 10. The move heightened tensions between the two nations and prompted a boycott call from the Indian side, which hurt several sectors, most notably tourism, which is vital to Maldives' economy.
Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who is currently in India, voiced his concerns about the ramifications of India's boycott call against his nation, particularly in the context of tourism. (Image: Reuters)Also read:
Highlighting the impact of the boycott call on the Maldives, Nasheed said, "It has impacted the Maldives a lot, and I am actually here in India. I am very worried about this. I want to say the people of the Maldives are sorry, we are sorry that this has happened. We want Indian people to come on their holidays to the Maldives, and there will not be any change in our hospitality."
He lauded the quick action taken by the current President of Maldives in removing those that trigerred the diplomatic row, which led to the boycott call from India.
"I think, these matters must be ironed out, and we must revert to change course and go back to our usual relationship," Nasheed said.
Nasheed spoke about the historical ties between the two nations and highlighted India's responsible approach during past challenges.
"When the president of the Maldives wanted Indian military personnel to leave, you know what India did? They did not twist their arms. They did not display muscle, but just simply told the government of Maldives, 'Okay, let's have a discussion on that'."
About recent discussions over the Dornier flight and helicopters, Nasheed urged Muizzu to cease such talks.
"It's very unfortunate that President Muizzu had these discussions. I would call him to please stop these discussions on the Dornier flight and the helicopters. They were brought to the Maldives for medical evacuation, and there is a need for medical evacuation. Our islands are far-flung, and we don't have developed hospitals on every island. So, there is very often a need to bring a patient to Male, and to do that quickly would be by air, so we need that," Nasheed said.
Talking about the recently signed defence agreement between Maldives and China, he added, "I don't think it's a defence agreement. I think that Muizzu wanted to buy some equipment, mainly rubber bullets and tear gas. It is very unfortunate that the government thought that there was a need for more tear gas and more rubber bullets. Governance is not through the barrel of the gun."
Recently, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that misunderstandings could happen between nations and expressed optimism in resolving the dispute via diplomatic talks.
"Humanity is humanity. Diplomacy is diplomacy, and politics is politics. The whole world doesn't always run with obligation...so if we have encountered such a situation, the solution will come through diplomacy only," he said.
(Edited by : Jerome Anthony)
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