Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid on Wednesday said that Maldives has an outstanding relationship with India and every time, Maldives had an emergency, India has always been the first to respond. “We have confidence in India that every time the Maldives has to dial international 911 in an emergency, India has always responded— 1988, the mercenary attack in the Maldives undermining our sovereignty, the 2004 tsunami, the 2015 water crisis in Mali, and the most recent COVID-19 pandemic,” the Foreign Minister of Maldives told ANI about how India has been helpful to the Maldives in the past and in recent times.

Abdullah Shahid said that India has earned a lot of respect and love from the countries of the world, including Maldives when it reached out during the COVID-19 pandemic with the Indian vaccine.
“I have travelled to many parts of the world. From everywhere I travelled, I heard the gratitude of those countries which India reached out to during the COVID pandemic with the Indian vaccine. And this kind of sharing has created a lot of respect, a lot of love for India around the world. And so is it in the Maldives,” the Foreign Minister of Maldives said.

He further said that Maldives is encouraged by the policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the SAGAR policy, and the neighbourhood first policy. The outstanding relationship between India and Maldives has enormously flourished.

“No doubt that President Solih has this India-first policy in his foreign policy. And we are encouraged by the policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the SAGAR policy, and the neighbourhood first policy. So this outstanding relationship has enormously flourished,” he said while speaking to ANI.

On asking how he looked at the analogy that Maldives is always seen as a place where India and China are always competing and when people compare the two countries and the fight for influence, Maldives’ Foreign Minister said that President Solih has India-first policy in his foreign policy.

Referring to China, he said that Maldives is not a battleground for anyone.

“Maldives is not a battleground for anyone. Maldives is a ground for everyone to come together,” Abdullah Shahid said.

“We are friend to all and enemy to none. However, we have the geographic reality of India as our largest next-door neighbour. We are very happy that we have had an outstanding relationship with India,” he added.

Speaking on India’s G20 presidency, Shahid on Wednesday said that the G20 leadership of India should be admired for the simple reason that India did not restrict G20 activities to G20 alone. Prime Minister Narendra Modi picked the theme of sharing with everyone.

“G20 leadership of India should be admired for the simple reason that the Prime Minister has picked the theme of sharing with everyone. It’s not about G20, but also sharing. The theme he (PM Modi) has taken for G20 is how the rest of the world takes comfort in India’s Chairmanship of G20,” Shahid said while speaking to ANI.

“India has the largest population in the world and it is a country full of talent being respected around the world. Even as chair of G20, India has not restricted the G20 activities to G20 alone. It has reached out to countries all around, large and small countries. So India has this habit of sharing its development, its wealth, and its knowledge,” he added.

Prime Minister Modi has stated multiple times that India’s G20 Presidency is guided by the principle of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ and in line with ”Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.” PM Modi has stated that India’s G20 Presidency has worked to “further global good and create a better planet.”

(Source: ANI)