Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has reacted to his anti-Indian remarks with greater amiability. He has stated that India will be his nation's "closest ally" nonetheless, but he is still attempting to get New Delhi to reduce its debt. 

The Maldives were allegedly $400.9 million in debt to India at the conclusion of the year. Since taking power in November of last year, the pro-China president of the Maldives has been harsh with India. He promptly demanded that the Indian military, who were positioned on three aircraft platforms, leave his nation by May 10.

President Muizzu met with local media representatives for the first time on Thursday after taking office. He claimed that India had carried out the "greatest number" of projects and that it had played a significant role in aiding the Maldives.

Maldivian President MohamedMuizzu has reacted to his anti-Indian remarks with greater amiability. He has stated that India will be his nation's "closest ally" nonetheless, but he is still attempting to get New Delhi to reduce its debt. The Maldives were allegedly $400.9 million in debt to India at the conclusion of the year.

Since taking power in November of last year, the pro-China president of the Maldives has been harsh with India. He promptly demanded that the Indian military, who were positioned on three aircraft platforms, leave his nation by May 10.

Also Read: Congress Party's Battle for Telangana Elections 2023: Strengths, Weaknesses, and More

President Muizzu met with local media representatives for the first time on Thursday after taking office. He claimed that India had carried out the "greatest number" of projects and that it had played a significant role in aiding the Maldives.

India will continue to be the Maldives' most reliable partner, he said in an interview with the Maldives news website Edition.mv, emphasizing how definite this reality is. The passages from the president's interview that appeared in "Mihaaru," a sister publication to the Dhivehi language, were used in the post.

The praises for India came after the original group of Indian armed forces left the island nation as planned. President Muizzu had given the 88 soldiers positioned on the three Indian airfields orders to leave the country on May 10.

India has been employing a Dornier plane and two helicopters to provide medical and humanitarian evacuation services to the Maldives for a number of years.

The Maldives are strategically significant because of their proximity to India, situated at the intersection of crucial trade routes in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR)—roughly 300 nautical miles from the western coast of the mainland and 70 nautical miles from Minicoy island in Lakshadweep.

President Muizzu requested in the interview that India set aside money to assist the Maldives in repaying "the substantial loans taken against successive governments."

The official stated, "The circumstances that we have inherited are such that there are very large loans taken from India." We are currently in discussions to determine whether we can shorten the loan repayment terms in light of this.

Prior to the Maldives Parliament elections, which are scheduled for about mid-April, President Muizzu made some kind remarks toward India. He claimed that the Maldives' economy could not support the size of the loans that the country had taken out from India.