The new government of Maldives on Monday sought help from India to help the Maldives with its debt-ridden problem and help for its development goals. Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid said the new government is trying to calculate the amount of debt, as its official government figures does not “tally with that of Chinese estimates”.
Shahid showed his confidence regarding help from India and said to decrease the downfall of the government, Male is looking for India’s assistance. The Maldives need to pay back almost 70 percent of its debt to China.
According to a news report, Shahid was quoted as saying that the Maldives believe in India that it would help to deal with Maldives issues such as sewage, freshwater scarcity and healthcare.
Maldives new President Ibrahim Solih is likely to visit India next month. Shahid is likely to hold an exclusive meeting on Monday, with India’s external affairs minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj, and also expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi on November 17, attended President Mohamed Solih’s swearing-in ceremony and hailed Maldives election process for incorporating “the collective aspirations of the people of the Republic of Maldives for democracy, rule of law and a prosperous future”.
Male last week, signed a free trade agreement with China. Head of Maldivian Democratic Party Mohamed Nasheed said, “The trade imbalance between China and the Maldives is so huge that nobody would think of an FTA between such parties,” adding, “China is not buying anything from us. It is a one-way treaty.”