00:00 Maldives opposition leader and chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party Fayaz Ismail
00:09 expressed on Wednesday that the country's government should issue a stronger statement
00:13 condemning disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indians.
00:18 In a recent interview, Ismail urged the government to adopt a tougher stance against the racist
00:23 comments directed towards Indians and PM Modi to mend the strained ties between the two
00:27 countries.
00:28 Ismail emphasised the need for the incumbent government to take more significant efforts
00:33 to clarify that there was no intentional endorsement of such opinions by the government.
00:39 He stressed that these remarks were isolated individual opinions from people who unfortunately
00:44 held positions in the government.
00:46 Last week, Indian Prime Minister Modi shared images of himself enjoying the weather on
00:50 the beach in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, which led to offensive and racist remarks
00:54 on social media.
00:55 This unexpected diplomatic row between New Delhi and Mali involved ministers from the
00:59 current Maldivian government.
01:01 Mali has since suspended three deputy ministers over the remarks and distanced itself from
01:06 the comments, asserting that they do not represent the country's official position.
01:10 During the interview, the opposition leader acknowledged that the Maldives currently have
01:14 stronger ties with China.
01:16 Maldivian President Mohammad Mizu, in power since the recent elections, is currently visiting
01:20 Beijing.
01:21 Ismail admitted that the current government has a more favourable relationship with China
01:26 and mentioned the shift in foreign policy under the new government.
01:29 He highlighted that maintaining good relations with China is not an issue that any party
01:33 in the Maldives would oppose, even though the country has historically followed an India-first
01:38 policy for security and stability.
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