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In jab at India, President Muizzu says Maldives’ small size not a licence to bully
- Returning home from a trip to Beijing, Muizzu said the Maldives was not in any country’s backyard and China respects the archipelago’s territorial integrity
- Ties between Male and New Delhi soured after three of the island’s junior ministers posted derogatory remarks against Modi on social media
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The president of the Maldives said on Saturday that his country’s small size does not give anyone the licence to bully it, in a sign of defiance towards India, the archipelago state’s giant neighbour.
President Mohamed Muizzu, speaking to the media on his return from India’s regional rival China, said the Maldives is not in any country’s backyard and that the Indian Ocean does not belong to a single country – a reference to a recent tiff between the Maldives and India.
“We may be small but that does not give you the licence to bully us,” Muizzu concluded in English, having made his statement in the native Dhivehi language.
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The latest dispute started with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posting photos on X, formerly Twitter, showing him strolling and snorkelling in the Indian archipelago of Lakshadweep, which his government believes has an untapped potential for tourism.
However, in the Maldives, some saw it as an attempt to draw visitors away from its sandy white beaches and high-end island resorts popular with celebrities.
“We are a free and independent nation. So this territorial integrity is something China respects firmly,” said Muizzu, signalling the Maldives government’s effort to break from India’s influence.
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