India-Maldives Row: S Jaishankar Holds 'Frank Conversation' About Military Withdrawal with Maldivian Minister

Amid the ongoing diplomatic row, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer on Thursday to have a “frank conversation” about the recent military withdrawal from the Island state.

The meeting was held in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala when India and Maldives are witnessing strained bilateral ties. Both the leaders discussed the recent withdrawal of the Indian military from Maldives as well as NAM-related issues.

“Met Maldives FM @MoosaZameer today in Kampala. A frank conversation on India-Maldives ties. Also discussed NAM-related issues,” Jaishankar posted on X, sharing a photograph of the meeting.

Jaishankar was visiting Kampala to represent India at the two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). The summit began on Friday.

Maldivian minister Zameer also said it was a pleasure to meet Jaishankar on the margins of the NAM Summit.

“We exchanged views on the ongoing high-level discussions on the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, as well as expediting the completion of ongoing development projects in the Maldives, and cooperation within SAARC and NAM,” he wrote on X.

S Jaishankar on India-Maldives Row

Last week, Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said that it can never be guaranteed that India will be supported by all the countries, every time amid ongoing diplomatic controversy with Maldives.

The minister was speaking at a town hall meeting in Maharashtra’s Nagpur where he also highlighted India’s extensive in the last decade in trying to build a strong global connection.

On being asked about the Maldives row, the EAM 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 connection.”

EAM Jaishankar Attends NAM Summit

Jaishankar on Thursday held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Egypt, the Maldives, Angola and Belarus during which he discussed with them issues of mutual interests and expanding cooperation in the multilateral fora.