NEW DELHI: After nearly nine months, the Maldivian government has flipped from its anti-India stand. From announcing that Dornier aircraft (gifted by India) will now be used for medical evacuation to having roadshows titled ‘Welcome India’ in India to woo back Indian tourists, there has been a marked shift.
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar will be visiting the archipelago next weekend.
“Jaishankar is likely to meet President Mohamad Muizzu (tentatively in the second week of this month). Besides, he will inspect three projects that are being undertaken with Indian support. These are: an airport project in north Hanimaadhoo, an airport project in Gan and the Greater Male area bridge connectivity (the first phase of it is visible at Viliginli island),’’ said a source.
The Maldivian change of heart is primarily due to economic reasons. There is a reduced inflow of Indian tourists. Besides, India has deferred a $50 million loan. People in the Maldives are concerned about Chinese investments, and they are not sure whether they have pushed the repayment of loans by five years or merely replaced them with soft loans.
Meanwhile, Muizzu has credited India with helping in evacuating foreign nationals while also stating that the Indian military personnel have been replaced by civilians.
President Muizzu on the first day of his being elected had said that he would send the Indian troops marching out of his country. There were 88 Indian troops and they were primarily manning two Dornier aircraft and one helicopter. The military personnel have now been replaced by civilians from India.
Interestingly, the Maldivians are now wooing Indian tourists and have launched a ‘Welcome India’ campaign — a far cry from the ‘India-out’ campaign.
India is an important country for tourism in Maldives. As of June 2024, nearly 63,451 tourists visited that country, which is nearly 6.2% of the total share. A section of Indians launched a ‘boycott Maldives’ campaign after a Maldivian lawmaker made derogatory remarks against PM Modi last year.
The Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation, in collaboration with the Maldives Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators and the National Hotels and Guesthouses Association of Maldives, is presenting roadshows titled ‘Welcome India’ in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
New Indian embassy in Timor-Leste soon
India will soon open an embassy in Dili, capital of Timor-Leste, the MEA said on Friday. The ministry also said that President Droupadi Murmu will embark on a six-day three-nation visit, which includes Timor-Leste, New Zealand and Fiji from August 5. Murmu will be in Dili on August 10 at the invitation of President Jose Ramos-Horta. Meanwhile, Timor-Leste has also announced its intention to open its embassy in Delhi.