External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar made a reaction on the ongoing diplomatic row with the Maldives saying it can’t be guaranteed that every country will support or agree with India all the time. The response comes as the Maldives has asked India to withdraw its military troops by March 15 amidst the fallout between Male and New Delhi.
According to Hindustan Times, Jaishankar said, “Politics is politics. I cannot guarantee that in every country, every day, everybody will support us or agree with us.”
There are 88 Indian soldiers in the Maldives, reported PTI. India is the only foreign power with a military presence in the Maldives.
“We may be small, but that does not give you the License to bully us”, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu said on Sunday, amidst boycott calls against the island nation from Indians, including celebrities, going unabated.
Muizzu responded to the media after returning to Male after a five-day state visit to China.
He further noted in his media statement that the Indian Ocean “does not belong to one particular country”, and that the Maldives “is not in anyone’s backyard”.
He asserted that China respected Maldives’ territorial integrity.
The rift began last week after three deputy ministers of the island nation made disparaging remarks against the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he visited the Lakshadweep islands. the Maldivian government “suspended” three deputy ministers but hollowing the tweets, several Indian celebrities and businesses launched the boycott campaign against the neighbouring nation.
The Indian government had summoned the Maldivian ambassador to South Block last Monday. On the same, the Indian envoy went to the Maldivian foreign ministry for what was later described as a “pre-arranged” meeting.
Muizzu had won the presidential elections with the ‘India Out’ slogan. On the second day of his presidency, Muizzu had called on India to remove Indian security personnel stationed in Maldives.
