Wednesday
24th Apr 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Nasheed. Photo: TMJ
Majlis Speaker Mohamed Nasheed had said that he would “repeatedly request” opposition leader, former President Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, to refrain from promoting “anti-Indian sentiment”.
Speaking with India’s The Hindu newspaper, Speaker Nasheed was asked if the ruling MDP stood to lose any public support due to the Solih administration’s close ties with India. Speaker Nasheed had responded that the government’s foreign policy should be one to which all of the country’s political parties could agree.
He said that no party should be promoting “personal biases” against a foreign country. He said that since the opposition would not stop expressing such opinions, he would repeatedly request the opposition leader, former President Yameen, to cast aside his intentions to oppose a specific foreign country.
Speaker Nasheed praised India, citing that the Maldives’ “India-First” policy had been established a long time ago.
On a previous occasion, Speaker Nasheed had attempted to justify the Indian military presence in the Maldives. He had made comments that the presence of foreign military in a country was not a cause for concern.
The opposition coalition is currently leading a nationwide campaign against a growing Indian military presence in the Maldives. The opposition is also calling for the nullification of classified military agreements made between India and the Solih administration.
Thousands of people had taken to the streets in protest last weekend, calling for the removal of Indian military personnel from the country.