- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Indian high commissioner to Maldives Munu Mahawar met with Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, the ambassador-at-large at the Maldivian foreign ministry on Monday.
By: Shubham Ghosh
AMID the row over three now suspended deputy ministers of Maldives making derogatory remarks against Indian prime minister Narendra Modi on social media, the foreign ministry of the island-nation on Monday (8) summoned the Indian ambassador stationed on its soil to “explain” Maldives’ side of the story.
The country’s SunOnline International reported.
Indian high commissioner in the Maldives Munu Mahawar was asked for a meeting at the foreign ministry at 12 noon local time, the newspaper cited a top government official as saying.
Read: Indian travel agency suspends flights to Maldives after row over posts on Modi
Mahawar met with Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, the ambassador-at-large at the Maldivian foreign ministry and the Sun cited a top official of the home government that Naseer told the Indian diplomat during the meeting that the controversial remarks made on social media did not reflect the views of the Maldivian government and reaffirmed the archipelago’s continued support for his giant maritime neighbour.
Read: Maldives foreign ministry speaks on posts row with India
The move came after India summoned the Maldivian ambassador in New Delhi, Ibrahim Shaheeb, earlier in the day to express strong concerns over the row.
Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid – three deputy ministers at Maldives’ youth ministry – had made the derogatory remarks against India and its prime minister on social media platform X, in response to a video in which Modi was seen promoting tourism in Lakshadweep.
The video showed the Indian leader enjoying a visit to the picturesque Indian Union territory in the Arabian Sea.
In the Maldives, some viewed Modi’s visit as an effort to draw tourists away from Maldives, known worldwide for its tourism industry.
Several Indian netizens expressed dissatisfaction over the posts made by the Maldivian government officials and gave call to boycott the island-nation.
Indian actor Akshay Kumar also expressed dismay at the comments.
The Maldivian foreign ministry came up with a statement saying the opinions were personal and did not represent the views of the Maldivian government.
“The Maldivian government believes that the freedom of expression should be exercised in a democratic and responsible manner, and in ways that do not spread hatred, negativity, and hinder close relationships between the Maldives and its international partners,” it said in the statement.
The row erupted a day before Maldives’ newly elected president Mohamed Muizzu embarked on a state visit to China. Observers have said that Muizzu is a pro-China leader and his country’s relations with India could deteriorate under his rule.
