Published 09:18 IST, February 29th 2020

'India always respected sovereignty of Maldives': Former Prez hails 'Rising India'

Maldivian Speaker of Parliament and former President Mohamed Nasheed said that India has always respected sovereignty of Maldives and treated it as an equal.

Reported by: Prachi Mankani
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Maldivian Speaker of Parliament and former President Mohamed Nasheed on Friday said that India has always respected Maldives' sovereignty and treated it as an equal.  former President lauded Indian government saying that it has never happened that a project initiated by New Delhi h become a debt trap. 

Speaking at Ideas Conclave in Gujarat, Nasheed said that India's actions have ever been a threat to Maldives or any of its neighbours. 

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"Many superpowers have risen, empires rise and fall and now we see India on rise. As India rises and attains status of a superpower. We do not see how India's actions have ever been a threat to Maldives or any of its neighbours. India has always respected our sovereignty and always treated us as equals, however small we are," said Nasheed.

India-Maldives relations refer to a long time bilateral relations between both countries. This relationship has been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation. Almost all Prime Ministers of India have visited Maldives during ir tenure. Furrmore, former President heaped praises over Indian government and said that Indian projects in Maldives are transparent. 

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" Maldives now has a democratic government and now with Indian assistance, it is all very different. Indian projects in Maldives are transparent and everyone knows what is going on. Everybody knows price of it. Indian projects tendered by Government of India are transparent. It is very rare, it has almost never happened that any of se have become a debt trap. I like India rising," he said. 


However, Nasheed voiced concerns over rise of China in Indian Ocean and said,  "We've anor superpower coming to Indian Ocean - China. Unfortunately, manner in which this superpower is treating Indian Ocean islands is very, very different".

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09:18 IST, February 29th 2020