S Jaishankar meets Maldivian counterpart amid diplomatic row

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday met his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer and the two leaders had a "frank conversation" on ties between the two countries.

The meeting between Jaishankar and Zameer in the Ugandan capital city of Kampala came amid an unease in the Maldives' bilateral ties with India.

Jaishankar is in Kampala to represent India at the two-day summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) beginning Friday.

"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.

In a post on X, Zameer said it was a pleasure to meet Jaishankar in 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.

"We are committed to further strengthening and expanding our cooperation," the Maldivian minister wrote. He also posted a photograph of the meeting.

The India-Maldives ties came under some stress as Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, maintained after assuming charge as the president in November that he will keep his election promise of evicting Indian military personnel from his country.

A row erupted on social media earlier this month when a minister and some other leaders in the Maldives used derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he posted a video of him on a pristine beach in Lakshadweep.

Muizzu suspended the three ministers after their social media postings, which stirred concern in India and calls for a boycott by Indian tourists who ranked highest in numbers followed by Russia. Chinese tourists figured third.

The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall bilateral ties including in areas of defence and security witnessed an upward trajectory under the previous government in Male.

In May last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Maldives during which he handed over a fast patrol vessel and a landing craft to the island nation.

In August, Prime Minister Modi and then Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih kick-started the India-funded Greater Male connectivity project, billed as the largest infrastructure initiative in the island nation.

Under the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), a 6.74-km-long bridge and causeway link will be built to connect the capital city Male with adjoining islands of Villingli, Gulhifalhu and Thilafushi.

The Maldives is also one of the biggest beneficiaries of India's Neighbourhood First policy.