NEW DELHI : Maldives President Abdulla Yameen’s government on Tuesday served a sharp warning against the many calls for Indian military intervention to resolve the crisis in the tiny island nation, announcing that his country had not sought military intervention and it "firmly believes that India would not act on any such calls".
"We would like to assure all our beloved citizens that Maldives does not have to fear for its independence or sovereignty and that the Government would not give any opportunity to anyone to threaten the country’s sovereignty," the statement said.
It added that there was "no threat to Maldives from being invaded by foreign military".
The strongly-worded Maldivian Defence Ministry statement comes days after the Chinese Foreign Ministry warned the international community including India to keep its hands off the Indian Ocean archipelago which Beijing had underlined should be allowed to resolve its internal issues.
Tuesday’s statement is also seen as a reflection of President Yameen’s success in consolidating his authority and gaining a clear upper hand in the political crisis.
President Yameen’s cabinet colleague Dr Mohamed Shainee, who had travelled to Saudi Arabia as the president’s envoy also, had also advised New Delhi to track the developments but steer clear of getting involved militarily.
"We have in the past sorted out our problems ourselves and we have the capacity to sort it out still… India is our closest neighbour and India should be concerned. But India should allow us to function independently and sort these issues ourselves," Dr Shainee told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
