India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has said that there is no guarantee that any country will at all times be in support of India.
"Sometimes, things do not go in a good way, and then you have to reason with people to bring things back to where they should be," Jaishankar stated.
The comments were made in response to a public query at a town hall meeting held in Nagpur, Maharashtra yesterday.
"Sometimes, things do not go in a good way, and then you have to reason with people to bring things back to where they should be," Mr. Jaishankar emphasised.
Jaishankar said that India had worked hard during the past decade to build strong ties, and that although politics may teeter, the society and the public would continue to foster good relations with India and would appreciate the importance of maintaining close ties.
Diplomatic relations between India and Maldives became strained after a number of Deputy Ministers from the Maldives government mocked and made other derogatory remarks against Indian PM Narendra Modi on his publishing of a video promoting tourism in Lakshadweep.
As a result, numerous Indians and Indian companies have been calling to boycott the Maldives. The Maldivian Ambassador to India was also summoned by the Indian Foreign Ministry. The Maldivian government has since suspended the three offending Deputy Ministers.
In addition to this matter, rifts have also risen regarding India's failure to act on the Maldives' government's request to remove Indian troops based in the nation. President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the matter would be resolved in a diplomatic manner, thereby fulfilling his pledge to remove foreign troops.
Today, President Dr Muizzu has officially requested the Indian government to remove all troops stationed in the country by March 15. The request was lodged through a meeting of the High Level Committee established to discuss India-Maldives affairs.
President Dr Muizzu has also indicated that his government is working to remove the country's dependency on India. In this endeavour, the President announced yesterday that staple foods are to be imported from Turkey, and onions, potatoes and eggs will also be sourced from a different country. He also said that the state health insurance system, Aasandha, will be made available in additional countries including UAE and Thailand.
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