Opposition Adhaalath Party (AP) has condemned Indian politician Subramanian Swamy for saying that India should “invade” Maldives if electoral fraud takes place.

Swamy, a Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, said this in a tweet on Thursday while sharing a news article of his meeting with former President Mohamed Nasheed.

In the subsequent press release on Saturday, AP stated that there is currently no situation in Maldives that warrants intervention from a foreign country but that Maldives does need India’s help to establish a democratic rule.

In the press release, AP approved the work India is doing with the international community to ensure the independence of the upcoming election and to establish democratic rule in Maldives.

The party noted that the Indian MP’s statement was his personal opinion but highlighted that it goes against the close relations between Maldives and India.

AP also noted that India has always stepped up to help Maldives in any crisis and that it was optimal to have close political, economic, and military ties between the two neighboring nations for the sake of peace in the Indian ocean.

AP also expressed concern and disappointment over President Abdulla Yameen’s “aimless” foreign policy, which has been straining the decades-long close relations between the two countries.