Yameen tried to play India against China as "puppet master": Maldives foreign minister | India News

NEW DELHI: Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said Monday that his former president, Abdulla Yameen, had tried to play India against China as a "puppet master", and that the new government was reviewing agreements with China to badess the accumulation of debt.

The Maldives know the importance of India as a "significant" partner, "said Shahid, who was making his first visit to India after being named Maldives foreign minister.

The visit is of particular importance because the links between the two countries were severely tested under the previous government of the island nation.

Maldives Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer, who is also part of a delegation of visiting ministers to India, also said the new government had identified a number of projects with China that had been purchased at an "inflated price". process of badessing the amount of accumulated debt.

The Maldives' foreign ministers and finance ministers are particularly important because some reports suggest that China has tried to extend its influence over the island nation.

"The Chinese part of the investment takes time to be evaluated because all these transactions took place in secret," Ameer said.

Shahid targeted former president Abdulla Yameen, alleging that he had tried to play India against China.

"The former president of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen, tried to play India against China as a puppet master, but we know the importance of India as that ally who has always helped the Maldives, "he told the press at a meeting of the foreign correspondents club. right here.

He declared that the Maldives considered India as an "important partner" of the new Maldivian President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who would make his first visit abroad on December 17.

However, Shahid said that as part of the "Belt and Road Initiative" initiative, the country would continue its cooperation with China but also with other countries.

Ameer said he identified a number of projects purchased at an "inflated price" from China.

These projects are the China-Maldives Bridge, a port development project and a construction project of about 1,000 homes, he said.

"We think most of these projects have been bought at inflated prices and we are looking at them, but you have to understand that all these projects are now over and we can not renegotiate them.

"In the future, our main goal would be to reduce the cost of these infrastructure projects," Ameer told reporters.

Economic Development Minister Fayyaz Ismail said the island nation was trying to overcome the past instability seen over the past two years.

"We are trying to put an end to the last five years of instability in the Maldives and we will try to resolve all disputes between Maldivian and Indian investors.

"In this regard, we hope to strengthen our bilateral trade.We hope to conclude a bilateral treaty with India on the increase of investment," he said.

He also stated that they were considering easing visa standards so that Indian investors could travel to the Maldives on business.

Ameer stated that the Maldives mainly sought budget support for health projects, among others.

Shahid said the Maldives had asked India to give him a Dornier plane and that the Department of External Affairs had "promised that it would be delivered soon".

"During the reign of Yameen, Yameen abandoned the Dornier offered by India to get a plane from Pakistan, the latter preferring to borrow in order to get a commission.We will prefer a gift and we want to continue working with the Indian government, "he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the inauguration ceremony of Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on November 17 in Male.

Solih, as a candidate of the opposition Maldivian Democrat Party, won a surprising victory over strong man Abdulla Yameen in the September 23 presidential elections.

Relations between India and the Maldives were considerably deteriorated under the Yameen regime, perceived as close to China.

Some decisions by Yameen, including the imposition of restrictions on working visas for Indians and the signing of a new free trade agreement with Beijing, also failed in New Delhi.

Relations between India and the Maldives further weakened after Yameen 's imposition of an emergency situation on February 5 this year.

India had criticized its decision and called on its government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process by releasing political prisoners. The emergency lasted 45 days.