Maldives Prez Muizzu says nothing to worry about past pacts, oppn slams him for previous 'false claims'

Male: President Mohamed Muizzu has said that there is nothing to worry about the agreements signed by the previous government with other countries, drawing criticism from the opposition leader who demanded his apology for making "false claims" during the 2023 election campaign regarding the pacts with nations like India.

At a marathon press conference at his Office on Saturday, Muizzu said he was working in line with his pledge to disclose the military agreements and blamed delays on confidentiality issues, adhadhu.com online news portal reported.

"Bilateral discussions are ongoing. There are no issues. However, we are trying to disclose through the bilateral discussions since I made a pledge. There are no concerns," he was quoted as saying by the news portal.

Muizzu made the remarks at the press conference, which lasted for nearly 15 hours, PSM News reported, claiming it broke a previous record held by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The president paused only briefly for prayer times.

Before coming to power, the People's National Congress (PNC) led by Muizzu expressed concerns over the agreements signed with other countries, especially India, by the previous Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government.

Muizzu and his party's senior leaders have previously said these agreements will affect the Maldives' sovereignty.

Responding to Muizzu's statement, former foreign minister and opposition MDP chief Abdulla Shahid criticised him, saying the people of the Maldives and India deserve an apology for his false claims over the pacts during the 2023 election campaign.

"After years of false claims, President Muizzu has now confirmed there are no “serious concerns” with the bilateral agreements between the Maldives and India. He won the 2023 presidential election on the back of a campaign that claimed these agreements threatened our sovereignty and territorial integrity," Shahid posted on X.

"That narrative has now collapsed under his own words. It spread fear, broke trust, and damaged the Maldives' reputation globally. The people of Maldives and India deserve an apology and a serious accounting for the harm caused," he added.

The Maldives and India witnessed a downturn in bilateral ties since pro-China president Muizzu assumed office in November 2023. On his insistence, India withdrew its military personnel manning three aviation platforms used for medical evacuation by May 10 last year.

In September, Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer acknowledged that the Maldives-India ties witnessed rough patches in the initial days of the President Muizzu-led government, but insisted that the two countries have mended fences and resolved the “misunderstandings".

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