Indian High Commissioner's visit to the Ministry was pre-arranged: High Commission

The High Commission of India has said today that the Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives had visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a pre-arranged meeting.

While the High Commissioner has already left the venue after the meeting, the government has not yet revealed more details about the meeting.

The Indian High Commission in the Maldives stated in a post on X that the High Commissioner arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today for a pre-scheduled meeting with Ambassador-at-Large Ali Naseer Mohamed.

Earlier this morning, Maldives High Commissioner to India Ibrahim Shaheeb was summoned to the Indian External Affairs Ministry. While the High Commissioner spent about an hour at the Ministry, no further information has been released about the meeting.

One country summons the envoy of another country, to typically express dissatisfaction and opposition to various issues, and emphasize the seriousness of the country's views.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's posts on social media promoting tourism in Lakshadweep in India have sparked heated remarks between Maldivians and Indians at various levels on social media, with some considering it a campaign against the Maldives.

Three Deputy Ministers of the Youth Ministry, Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Maajid were suspended yesterday in connection with the case.

In a statement issued before announcing their suspension, the government said that the derogatory remarks against foreign leaders represent personal opinions and not the views of the government. However, personal views should also be expressed in a democratic and responsible manner, it said.

Indian envoys to the Maldives have been summoned over various issues in the past. In 2016, the then High Commissioner to the Maldives, Akilesh Mishra, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry over the then ruling party, Progressive Party of Maldives Parliamentary Group Leader Ahmed Nihan Hussain Manik being denied entry into India.

In 2018, High Commissioner Akhilesh Mishra was summoned by the Foreign Ministry over Indian MP Subramanian Swamy's tweet that "India should invade Maldives if rigging of the presidential election takes place."