Only India providing substantial assistance to Maldives: Former FM Abdulla Shahid

Male, Oct 24 (IANS) Abdulla Shahid, former Maldivian Foreign Minister and also a former President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), has lauded India for extending substantial assistance to the archipelagic country while highlighting the negligible support received from the rest of the international community in time of need.  

“Apart from India, what assistance has been secured from any other foreign country? It is still India that continues to provide aid,” Abdulla Shahid, also a former President of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), said during an interview with SSTV, Maldives-based 'Sun Online' reported.

Shahid said a sound foreign policy must take into account two basic realities, a country’s neighbours and its history.

“The first is our neighbors; regardless of preference, they remain where they are. The second is our history; no matter the attempt to alter it, history remains constant. Attempting to change these two realities leads to a misguided path,” he said.

Criticising the current Maldives government led by President Mohamed Muizzu, Shahid said it had begun its term by stirring up tensions with the international community, and alleged that it had tried to play China and India against each other.

He recalled that senior figures in the current administration had worn “India Out” T-shirts and ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi while in opposition, only to seek financial help from India after coming to power, the report said.

According to Shahid, other countries had watched how the Maldives treated India, and the inconsistency had eroded international trust, with frequent policy shifts driven by short-term political interests hurting the country’s global standing.

He also said President Muizzu’s numerous foreign visits had yielded no tangible results, while several investment forums organised by the government had failed to draw foreign investors.

Asked why other countries were not stepping in, Shahid said the Maldives lacked international credibility and had damaged its image as a partner that respects its close allies, the report mentioned.

Ties between India and the Maldives were strained early in the Muizzu government’s term after senior officials made derogatory remarks about PM Modi, triggering calls in India for a boycott of the island nation, the report noted.

Relations have since improved, with President Muizzu visiting India twice and PM Modi travelling to the Maldives last year as the guest of honour at its Independence Day celebrations, it added.

--IANS

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