President Muizou: Maldives jurisdiction not concern of ‘external parties’

Asserting that the Maldives is not a small country, President Mohamed Muizum said the measures taken by the Maldivian government to ensure the Indian Ocean island nation’s own security should not be of concern to any “external parties”.

The pro-China Maldives leader’s comments came days after Muizou stepped up his anti-India rhetoric and the first batch of Indian military personnel operating helicopters gifted by India left the island nation.

Soon after taking office in November last year, Muizu asked India to withdraw nearly 90 military personnel from the island nation. India has agreed to replace military personnel with civilian personnel and continue to provide the country with two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft for humanitarian and medical evacuation services.

Muizou made the latest comments while speaking at the launch ceremony of the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) Air Force and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), a press release issued by the President’s Office on Friday said.

Muizou claimed that the Maldives was not a small country and that the country had the ability to oversee its jurisdiction.

“The Maldives is an independent and sovereign country and surveillance of Maldivian jurisdiction should not involve any external parties,” he said, without naming any country.

He “affirmed the importance of the Maldives moving towards self-reliance and remaining an independent and sovereign nation in all aspects,” the release said.

Muizou said the independence and sovereignty of the Maldives “must be in the common interest of all people, regardless of ideological differences”.

He added that this would not hinder the Maldives’ close relations with various countries.

Muizu, who is considered a pro-China leader, confirmed that after May 10, no Indian military personnel, even plainclothes personnel, will appear in India.

He came to power last year on an anti-India stance and within hours of being sworn in demanded that India withdraw its personnel from the strategic archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean.

Muizou announced new measures to strengthen Maldives’ military capabilities at the ceremony.

An initiative was launched to mobilize resources to repair neglected military resources and bring them up to standards for military use and public service, the release said.

At the same time, Maldives Defense Minister Ghassan Moumeng said that the establishment of the Maldives Defense Force Air Force shocked both enemies and friends.

The role and war strategies of China’s defense forces have changed in the modern world, Ghassan said, adding that the military now relies on technology and tactics to reduce risks to lives.

“It is a cutting-edge technology platform used by developed countries around the world. At the same time, it is also a weapon with firepower that can take defensive maneuvers to defend national sovereignty while focusing on surveillance and search and rescue,” said news portal Adhdhu.com.

Ghassan said the tide of war in the world has changed, resulting in fewer attempts to invade or occupy another country. However, he claimed that powerful countries now try to influence the sovereignty of other countries.

“Publicly stating our right to live in an independent and sovereign Maldives, publicly stating the right of the Maldivian people to be self-reliant, courageously working to rapidly elevate the ranks of the Maldivian military and by doing so alarmed friends and foes alike,” he said.

Lieutenant General Abdul Rahim Abdul Latif, Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Forces, said that with the establishment of the Defense Forces Air Force and the use of drones, the military capabilities of the Defense Forces have been greatly enhanced.

“In 4,000 years of Maldives’ independence, today is a historic day as the Air Force is established for the first time to defend the country through the air, conduct search operations and assist fishermen and vessels in incidents at sea,” he said.