Chairperson of the opposing Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Fayyaz Ismail, has remarked that President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu will now recognize the importance of India, despite previous criticisms made by the ruling party during the former MDP administration.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar arrived in the Maldives on Friday, marking the first official visit by an Indian minister since President Muizzu took office. The visit, at the invitation of Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, aims to strengthen bilateral ties.
In an interview given to an Indian newspaper, Fayyaz, who served as the Economic Minister under the previous administration, expressed hope that Minister Jaishankar's visit would help to rebuild strong relations between the Maldives and India.
Addressing concerns that President Dr. Muizzu's government seems to prioritize China over India, Fayyaz criticized the current administration for making several strategic errors. However, he expressed hope that President Dr. Muizzu would recognize the need to maintain balanced relations with regional neighbors. He highlighted that the MDP government had successfully maintained close relations with countries without exceptions, China included. He said the former government maintained relations in such a way that the security of the Indian Ocean region was not compromised.
Fayyaz further commented that he was not informed of the purpose of Minister Jaishankar's visit. He added that the current government's operating methods make it challenging to predict its actions.
MDP Chairperson Fayyaz Ismail
