Maldives tourism industry condemns remark on PM Modi's Lakshadweep post: ‘India always been 1st responder to…’ 10 points
India and visited China, unlike his predecessors. On Monday, China's state media Global Times, in an editorial, mentioned Muizzu's visit to the East Asian Nation, and referred to India's diplomatic row with the Maldives, and called for an "open-minded" approach to looking at South Asian issues. 10.
Mickail Naseem, Member of Parliament from Maldives has called on the Parliament to summon the foreign minister for the inaction and lack of urgency shown by the Maldives government. Former Maldives Defence Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi also said that derogatory comments against PM Modi demonstrate the "short-sightedness" of the Maldives government, adding that India has been a reliable ally, providing assistance in various sectors, including defense, and criticized any attempt to undermine the longstanding relationship. Meanwhile, The Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in its initiatives like SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the Neighbourhood First Policy' of the Modi government.
Notably, lakhs of Indians toured Maldives in the past few years. Indians top Maldives' tourist arrival figures, with more than 2 lakh of them visiting it every year after the COVID-19 pandemic, news agency PTI reported. Traders' body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) called upon domestic traders and exporters to refrain from conducting business dealings with the island nation, PTI reported.
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