‘I Cannot Guarantee That…’: Jaishankar Breaks Silence On India-Maldives Row
External affairs minister S Jaishankar recently broke his silence on the ongoing diplomatic row with the Maldives saying it can’t be guaranteed that every country will support or agree with India all the time.
When asked about the recent rift with the Maldives at a townhall meeting in Nagpur, Jaishankar said, “Politics is politics. I cannot guarantee that in every country, every day, everybody will support us or agree with us.”
“What we are trying to do, and with a lot of success in the last 10 years, is to build a very strong connect.”
Jaishankar highlighted India’s efforts over the past decade to build strong connections globally, focusing on fostering positive sentiments among people, despite the ups and downs in political relations.
“Politics may go up and down but the people of that nation generally have good feelings towards India and understand the importance of having good relations,” he said.
The minister further noted India’s involvement in infrastructure development in other countries.
“We are involved today in building roads, electricity, transmission, supplying fuel, providing trade access, making investments, and having people holiday in other countries,” Jaishankar said, stressing that “all these are parts of how you develop those relationships.”
“Sometimes, things do not go in a good way, and then you have to reason with people to bring things back to where they should be,” he added.
The diplomatic row between India and the Maldives erupted after three Maldivian leaders posted derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, criticizing his recent trip to Lakshadweep. India strongly condemned the comments and summoned the Maldivian envoy to register a protest.
The incident also triggered an online campaign to boycott the popular tourist destination, with prominent figures from the Indian film industry and celebrities endorsing the call to promote beach tourism in Lakshadweep and other domestic destinations.
In response to the controversy, the Maldivian government distanced itself from the objectionable remarks against PM Modi and suspended the three junior ministers.