(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Maldives sees all the big powers in the Indo-Pacific as important partners and considers regional stability vital, its Washington ambassador said on Friday. Earlier, it had raised concerns of India and US after signing defense deals with China, according to a Reuters report.
Speaking after a Washington visit by Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer this week, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed said his country occupies a very strategic position and is aware of its responsibilities in maintaining a "free, peaceful and stable Indian Ocean."
Zameer's Washington visit came two months after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu 's party won a landslide in parliamentary elections. Muizzu has pivoted ties towards China and away from India, a key U.S. regional partner in standing up to Beijing's efforts to spread its regional influence.
Zameer met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, who said Washington sought a deeper partnership.
Ghafoor said he was not privy to details of defense agreements the Maldives has signed with China, but they should not be a cause of concern to others.
"We deal with other countries in a sincere way and therefore we expect other countries to be dealing with the Maldives sincerely ... I don't think there are any hidden agendas in this at all," he said.
"We would not do anything that would harm or create problems in the region ... because as a small country very much reliant on tourism, peace and stability, not only in the Indian Ocean, but also globally, is important to us."
On how the Maldives, a low-lying archipelago of about half a million people, balanced its ties with India, China and the US, he said, "We consider all of them are partners ... all these countries are of importance to us and they help us."
In May, India had replaced 80 soldiers on the Maldives with civilians after Muizzu's "India out" campaign.
Ghafoor said relations with India were nevertheless "quite good" and improving, with a visit expected by India's external relations minister soon.
U.S.-Maldives relations had become "very robust," he said, with both sides recently opening embassies in each other's country. He said the Maldives economic minister is expected to visit the U.S. next month to discuss a trade and investment framework agreement, as per the Reuters report.
He was quoted saying that the Maldives would like to seem more U.S. investment especially in the tourism sector, which brought around 76,000 U.S. visitors last year.
(With inputs from Reuters)
MENAFN29062024007365015876ID1108387409
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.