Maldives may be small but it 'doesn't give them the license to bully us', says President Mohamed Muizzu after his China visit
state visit to China, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu on Saturday struck a defiant note saying that his country may be small but «doesn't give them the license to bully us». His comments came amid a diplomatic row with India over derogatory social media posts by three of his ministers against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
«We may be small but this doesn't give them the license to bully us,» Muizzu, who is regarded as a pro-China leader, said without naming any country.
«Though we have small islands in this ocean, we have a vast exclusive economic zone of 900,000 square km. Maldives is one of the countries with the biggest share of this ocean,» he told the media on his arrival from China after concluding the state visit, the first after assuming office in November last year.
«This ocean does not belong to a specific country. This (Indian) Ocean also belongs to all countries situated in it,» he said, in an apparent jibe at India.
«We aren't in anyone's backyard. We are an independent and sovereign state,» he was quoted as saying by the Maldives Sun Online portal.
During his visit to China, Muizzu held talks with President Xi Jinping after which the two countries signed 20 agreements.
«The two sides agree to continue firmly supporting each other in safeguarding their respective core interests,» said a joint statement issued at the end of Muizzu's talks with the top Chinese leaders.
«China firmly supports the Maldives in upholding its national sovereignty, independence and national dignity, respects and supports the Maldives' exploration of a development path that suits its national conditions, and firmly opposes external interference in the internal
