Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Munu Mahawar, has taken up with the Maldives government the derogatory remarks made by a deputy minister in the island nation, sources informed on Sunday.
Amid the row and social media fury, the Maldivian government on Sunday sought to distance itself from minister Mariyam Shiuna's derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying her opinion does not reflect the government's views.
Indian celebrities have strongly criticized derogatory remarks by Maldivian leaders against India and expressed support for promoting Indian beach tourism.
After departing from convention in picking Turkey, and, not India, for his first official visit, Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, will undertake a state visit to China from January 7-12.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has conveyed the Indian government's assurance to honour and respect the desire of the Maldivian people to abstain from accommodating foreign military presence within the country.
A recent meeting was held between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai, UAE.
Earlier in August, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and then Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih launched the 'Greater Male connectivity projects in the Maldives' and also entered pacts in areas like cyber security, disaster management, and police infrastructure development.
Earlier on Friday, Maldivian President-elect Mohamed Muizzu took the oath as the eighth President of the Maldives, said the Maldives President's Office in a press statement.
Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Muizzu won the Maldivian presidential elections last month. He won with more than 53 per cent of the vote in the second round of voting, after emerging as the frontrunner in the first round with 46 per cent votes, followed by Ibrahim Solih's 39 p
The High Commission took swift action following the fishermen's predicament, liaising actively with Maldivian authorities to ensure a "speedy resolution" to the matter.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Saturday in a letter addressed to the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar requested to secure the release of 12 Tamil fishermen detained by the Maldivian Coast Guard.