MALE: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has denied having an "India Out" agenda, asserting that the island nation had a "serious problem" with the presence of foreign military on its soil.
Muizzu, who is in the US to attend the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, made the remarks on Thursday while responding to a question at Princeton University's Dean's Leadership Series.
"We have never been against any one country at any point. It's not India Out. Maldives faced a serious problem with foreign military presence on this soil," Maldivian news portal adhadhu.com quoted him as saying.
"The people of Maldives do not want a single foreign soldier in the country," Muizzu said.
The ties between India and the Maldives came under severe strain since November last year when Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge as Maldivian president.
Muizzu had asked India to withdraw nearly 90 Indian military personnel operating three aviation platforms gifted by the country.
India withdrew its military personnel by May 10 and replaced them with civilian personnel to operate a Dornier aircraft and two helicopters.
Muizzu further stressed he had taken action against deputy ministers for insulting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media.
"No one should say such a thing. I took action against it. I will not accept insulting anyone like that, whether he is a leader or an ordinary person. Every human being has a reputation," the report quoted him as saying.
Earlier this year, deputy ministers in Maldives' youth ministry were suspended for derogatory social media posts against Prime Minister Modi following a backlash, with New Delhi strongly raising the matter with Male.
The deputy ministers criticised Modi for his post on 'X' following his visit to Lakshadweep, inferring that it was an attempt to project the Union Territory as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.
Prime Minister Modi was in Lakshadweep on January 2 and 3 to inaugurate several projects.