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NEW DELHI: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, following latest anti-India rhetoric, has shifted to a reconciliatory tone, emphasizing India’s significance as Maldives’ “closest ally.” He has urged New Delhi to increase debt reduction to the archipelago nation.The Maldives owed roughly USD 400.9 million to India by the tip of final yr.Ever since assuming workplace as president in November final yr, the pro-China Maldivian chief has adopted a agency stance in the direction of India.Inside hours of his inauguration, he demanded the repatriation of Indian army personnel working three aviation platforms from his nation by Could 10.Muizzu on Thursday in his first interview with the native media since assuming workplace stated that India was instrumental in offering support to the Maldives and has applied the “greatest number” of tasks.India will proceed to stay the Maldives’ closest ally, he stated and emphasised that there was no query about it, Maldives information portal Version.mv stated in a report that carried excerpts of Muizzu’s interview to its Dhivehi language sister-publication ‘Mihaaru.’Muizzu’s optimistic remarks about India adopted the departure of the preliminary group of Indian army personnel from the island nation as scheduled earlier this month. By Could 10, Muizzu insisted that every one 88 army personnel, stationed on the three Indian aviation platforms, ought to vacate the nation.For a number of years now, India has been providing humanitarian support and medical evacuation assist to the Maldives, using two helicopters and a Dornier plane for this objective. The Maldives’ shut proximity to India, with Minicoy Island in Lakshadweep simply 70 nautical miles away and the mainland’s western coast roughly 300 nautical miles distant, underscores its strategic significance. Located on the crossroads of essential industrial sea routes within the Indian Ocean Area (IOR), the Maldives holds appreciable strategic worth.In the course of the interview, Muizzu urged India to accommodate debt reduction measures for the Maldives within the compensation of “the hefty loans taken over consecutive governments.””The conditions we have inherited are such that there are very large loans taken from India. Hence, we are holding discussions to explore leniencies in the repayment structure of these loans.”As an alternative of halting any ongoing tasks … to proceed with them at pace, so I see no cause for any antagonistic results (on Maldives-India relations),” Muizzu added.Muizzu’s conciliatory comments towards India came ahead of Parliament elections in Maldives slated in mid-April.He said Maldives has taken significant loans from India, which are heftier than can be borne by the Maldivian economy. “Attributable to this, he’s at present discussing with the Indian authorities to discover choices to repay the loans to the very best of the Maldives’ financial capabilities,” the news portal said quoting him.Muizzu, who expressed hope that India would “facilitate debt reduction measures within the compensation of those loans,” also said that he has conveyed his appreciation to the Indian government for their contributions.”I additionally conveyed to Prime Minister Modi throughout our assembly that I didn’t intend to halt any ongoing tasks. As an alternative, I expressed my need to strengthen and expedite them” he said, referring to his discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Dubai on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai in December 2023.”I steered a high-level committee be established, one designed for fast decision-making even within the bridge mission to make sure speedy work. The identical for the Hanimaadhoo Airport,” he added.Answering a question about Indian military personnel, Muizzu termed it as “the one matter of competition” that arose with India about the presence of Indian military in the Maldives and added that India, too, had accepted the fact and agreed to withdraw the military personnel.”It’s not good to dismiss or disregard support from one nation to a different as ineffective,” he said and claimed that he had not taken any action or made any statements that may strain the relationship between the two countries.”Even when they’re troops of another nation, we are going to cope with them in the identical method. I’ve stated so very clearly. It’s nothing private however relatively a matter of our nationwide safety,” he added.(with inputs from companies)

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