Foreign Minister assures there will be no recurrence of disrespectful remarks against India

Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer has unequivocally assured that there will be no recurrence of incidents like the previous issue that arose where a number of Deputy Ministers of the Government of Maldives made disrespectful and derogatory comments against India and their Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Zameer made these comments while speaking to Indian media outlet Asian News International (ANI) during his official trip to India.

Speaking to ANI, Zameer reiterated that the government of Maldives has even previously stated that the comments made by these Deputy Ministers on social media do not, in any way, reflect the stance of the government. He asserted that appropriate steps had been taken to ensure that such actions are not repeated.

"From what I believe, there is still some difference in opinion on social media. However, this discord is no longer present between the Governments of India and Maldives. We have overcome that," Zameer stated.

The initial outrage arose after Deputy Ministers of the Youth Ministry, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid made rude and deragoratory comments in response to a social media post of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promoting Lakshadweep as a tourism destination. All three were later suspended from their duties due to these actions.

India's Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar has also stated yesterday that it is most prudent for both India and Maldives to reach a consensus on a common ideology through which they will work to further strengthen bilateral ties.

Minister Jaishankar noted that India is a key nation that continuously contributes to the development of Maldives.

Foreign Minister Zameer travelled to New Delhi on last Wednesday, May 8. This is the first official trip of a senior Government official to India since this administration assumed office on November 17, 2023.