During the previous regime, headed by pro-India leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s administration, the total amount of loans taken from the Export and Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) stood at USD 1.4 million (MVR 22 million). “Together with this, the amount owed by Maldives to India by the end of last year stood at MVR 6.2 billion, he said.At the current rate of 1 MVR equal to USD 16, this is approximately USD 400.9 million.“I also conveyed to Prime Minister Modi during our meeting that I did not intend to halt any ongoing projects. Instead, I expressed my desire 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 suggested a high-level committee be established, one designed for quick decision-making even in the bridge project to ensure speedy work. The same for the Hanimaadhoo Airport,” he added.Answering a question about Indian military personnel, Muizzu termed it as “the only matter of contention” 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 is not nice to dismiss or disregard aid from one country to another as useless,” 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 if they are troops of some other country, we will deal with them in the same manner. I have said so very clearly. It is nothing personal but rather a matter of our national security,” he added.Muizzu stated that his government acted to find the swiftest and most prudent solution through deliberations to deal with the issue of the Indian military in the Maldives.He defended his agreement with India to deploy civilians instead of military personnel to run the helicopters and the Dornier aircraft saying that the erstwhile Abdulla Yameen administration which demanded the Indian troops to be sent out has not succeeded as Indian personnel remained in the Maldives.While the same goals were being worked for in both instances, Muizzu indicated that results can be achieved through discussions and deliberations. “Everything can be achieved through discussions and deliberations. That’s what I believe,” he said.Meanwhile, amid his tenuous ties with India, Muizzu had pursued an obvious pro-China policy starting with his January visit to Beijing. During his China visit, he signed a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership besides signing 20 agreements to assist Maldives infrastructure after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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