India, Maldives summon envoys
The Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Maldivian envoy in the backdrop of the ongoing war of words that erupted after three deputy ministers of the new government of President Mohamed Muizzu posted remarks that were found to be disrespectful toward India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Amid diplomatic dialogue to deal with the emerging situation, the Embassy of Israel has stepped into the case and posted photographs of Lakshadweep on social media.
On Jan. 8, High Commissioner of Maldives Ibrahim Shaheeb was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian side, however, did not issue an official statement on the discussion with the Maldivian envoy.
Soon thereafter, the Indian High Commissioner to Male, Munu Mahawar, was met by Maldivian authorities, indicating that this could be a tit-for-tat move from Maldives.
However, the High Commission of India in Maldives clarified the matter and said, “High Commissioner Munu Mahawar had a pre-arranged meeting with Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, Ambassador at Large, at MoFA, Maldives, today to discuss bilateral issues.”
On Sunday, sources said that the Indian High Commission in Male had taken up the social media messages by the three deputy ministers “strongly” with the Government of President Muizzu.
In the meanwhile, in an apparent response to the remarks from Maldives’ deputy minister for youth affairs, Maryam Shiuna, who had mentioned Israel’s ties with India in her now-deleted social media post, the Israeli embassy here has waded into the controversy and come out praising the tourism potential of Lakshadweep.
These deputy ministers had responded in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep, during which he highlighted the islands’ beautiful beaches. In the backdrop of their comments, President Muizzu suspended the three ministers — Maryam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, Mahzoom Majid.
The Israeli embassy here, however, waded into the social media-driven diplomatic spat and said on Jan. 8: “We were in Lakshadweep last year upon the federal government’s request to initiate the desalination program. Israel is ready to commence working on this project tomorrow. For those who are yet to witness the pristine and majestic underwater beauty of #Lakshadweepislands, here are a few pictures showing this island’s enchanting allure.”