President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the Maldives’ Special Economic Zone is not the concern of foreign entities, and should only be worried about by the Maldives’ and its people.
With the introduction of the state-of-the-art unmanned aerial vehicle, the President said the old perception of Maldives as a small, defenseless country should be changed.
He noted that Maldives has a large Special Economic Zone in terms of size, however the people should believe that the management of the area is something that the country can manage on its own.
The President further said that the region is linked to the economic development of Maldives. The maintenance of the SEZ is essential to ensure that growth. The goal is to stand on its own feet and become a country independent of undue external influence.
The President said that Maldives should be able to manage its own waters as part of its efforts to achieve those goals and no other country/people should be concerned about it.
"There are a lot of things that can be done for the development of Maldives’ large economic territory, so we have to take care of it ourselves. Taking care of our own territory is not something others should worry about," he said.
The President announced that the drone will be used to monitor the sea area of Maldives 24 hours a day.
"From today onwards, we must accept that this is a great country and that we have the capacity to manage the territory of this great country," he said.