"The current administration appears to be pivoting towards an anti-India stance. Both the MDP and The Democrats believe alienating any development partner, especially the country's most long-standing ally, will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country," Maldives' main opposition parties, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Democrats said on Wednesday.
"Consecutive governments of the country must be able to work with all development partners for the benefit of the people of the Maldives, as the Maldives has traditionally done. Stability and security in the Indian Ocean are vital to the stability and security of the Maldives," the joint statement stressed.
India-Maldives Diplomatic Row
In December, three Male deputy ministers shared derogatory comments when speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, triggering anger from Indians who called for boycotting Maldives as a tourist destination.
The Maldives' $6 billion GDP mainly depends on tourism, with Indian tourists accounting for nearly a quarter of foreign arrivals in the country. According to official tourism data, Indian tourists were the highest among visitors to the Maldives as of December 2023, followed by Russia and then China.
And both Maldives' former president, Mohamed Nasheed, and former foreign minister, Abdulla Shahid, condemned the remarks made by the deputy ministers.
Given that, Muizzu decided to suspend his ministers involved in the incident.
Following Mohamed Muizzu's victory in the 2023 Maldivian presidential elections, diplomatic relations between India and Maldives have been deteriorating.
Not long after taking office, Muizzu declared his unwavering commitment to keeping the Maldives "free" of any "foreign military presence" in order to protect the country's independence and sovereignty. The Maldives, he claimed, are too small to be involved in geopolitical rivalry. Additionally, he declared that he has no desire to meddle in the Maldives' ongoing foreign policy.