As Maldives takes over the operation of the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport
from the GMR Group, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said
that the Male government should control “quarters” that want to harm relations
with India.
Following the Singapore High Court’s judgment on Thursday, decks
were cleared for the state-run airport authority to take over from the GMR
group from Friday night. The Maldives Government had terminated the contract of
GMR-led consortium to operate and develop the 25-year-old contract on November
27, following which the Indian firm had started arbitration proceedings in
Singapore.
The anti-GMR campaign had been led by fringe political parties
supporting President Mohamed Waheed. The chief among them is the
ultra-religious Islamist Adhalaath party, which has been leading a vitriolic campaign.
Obliquely referring to these groups, Khurshid said, “If any quarters there (in
Maldives) want that our relations should be harmed, then they should be
controlled. I think Maldives and its people know this thing properly and I am
sure that they will do the same thing”.
He reasserted that Male had to go through the legal processes
properly. “If they have to take a decision in interest of their society and
country and if that decision is taken properly as per laws there, what
objections can anyone have there. We would want that whatever is the decision,
it should not put any question marks on our friendly relations,” he said.
“On the commercial discussions, we don’t have the right and there is no
justification for it. Try to understand the issue in the right context and I
think there is nothing to worry about,” he said.
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