'Maldives and India sorting out issues behind scenes,' official tells The Citizen
He said that given the quiet diplomacy pursued by the two countries over decades, many things are discussed and solved outside the public gaze
Maldives Ambassador to India Ahmed Mohamed (l) with President Abdulla Yameen
Indian online newspaper The Citizen has reported that Maldives and India are sorting out their diplomatic issues behind the scenes, according to a top official of the Maldives government.
In The Citizen article published on Sunday, the official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that “given the quiet diplomacy pursued by the two countries over decades, many things are discussed and solved outside the public gaze.”
Expressing confidence that a diplomatic solution will be found, he said that ignorance of the issues has resulted in distorted reporting in the media.
“Taking the example of a recent report in The Hindu on the alleged delay or denial of visas to Indian workers, the official said that many in India may not know that there is always a slowdown in Maldivian offices during the fasting month of Ramzan,” reported The Citizen.
The Hindu had also said that visas had been delayed since February, when India criticized the declaration of the State of Emergency in the Maldives. But the official said that if there was a slowdown it was because of the extra security during the Emergency and this was not directed against any country in particular. However, only Indian nationals had complained of visa issues in the Maldives.
In regard to the return of the two naval helicopters India had given to Maldives, the official told The Citizen that Maldives had always wanted a fixed winged aircraft since, given the treacherous weather over the Maldives, helicopters could be tossed about badly.
While there were some accidents involving the Hummingbird models, there were no reported incidents involving the Indian helicopters.
