India Maldives Row: External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar declared that “politics is politics” and that there is no assurance that other countries will always support India amid the diplomatic spat between Maldives and India. This was his initial response to the latest controversy surrounding the Maldives, which started after several Maldivian ministers made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi after his recent visit to Lakshadweep.
India’s Policy and Neighbourhood First Approach
Jaishankar was questioned over India’s policy of safeguarding the country’s interests regardless of changes in foreign governments, as well as the diplomatic spat with the Maldives. “That is what we’re trying to do as part of what we call neighbourhood first policy,” the minister responded.
Nevertheless, politics will always be politics. “I cannot promise that everyone will agree with us or support us in every country on a daily basis,” Jaishankar stated during a town hall event called “Manthan” in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
Building Strong Diplomatic Connections
He stated that India has been attempting to “build a very strong connect” and has done so “with a lot of success in the last 10 years”. According to Jaishankar, this kind of approach makes sure that when foreign governments change, their citizens will still have positive perceptions of India and will appreciate the importance of maintaining positive relations with us.
Deteriorating Diplomatic Ties
The Maldives and India’s diplomatic ties are deteriorating, as evidenced by the External Affairs Minister’s comments. Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu suggested on Sunday, January 14, that the Indian government remove its military forces from the island nation by March 15. Following his visit to China, when he referred to the latter as the Maldives’ “closest allies” and subtly mocked India, claiming that no nation had the right to “bully” the Maldives, Muizzu made his statement.
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