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

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 had 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. 

"Many superpowers have risen, empires rise and fall and w we see India on rise. As India rises and attains status of a superpower. We do t 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, ecomic 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. 

" Maldives w has a democratic government and w with Indian assistance, it is all very different. Indian projects in Maldives are transparent and everyone kws what is going on. Everybody kws 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 ar 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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India and Maldives sign four MoUs 

In a recent development, India and Maldives signed five memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on February 2, 2020. objective of this MoU is to establish Addu tourism zone on five islands of Addu Atoll in Maldives. High Commissioner of India Sunjay Sudhir, Addu City Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid signed this agreement.

India was one of first countries to recognise  Maldives as an independent nation. India established its diplomatic mission in Male in 1972, capital of Maldives.

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