Biggest challenge was the lack of an expert on Maldives in India: D. M. Mulay

Former Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives D. M. Mulay has said that biggest challenge to fostering good relations between Maldives and India was the lack of an expert on Maldives in his home country.

Indian newspaper The Times of India reported that Mulay made his statements while addressing a session held in Pune, India, organized by the Pune Union of Working Journalists and Dnyaneshwar Mulay Education Society.

He said that awareness regarding Maldives and its geopolitical situation in India is very low, and that it is important for India to know about the its neighbours, as political, economic and social changes in these countries may have a major impact on India.

Mulay noted that China currently holds a large majority of the Maldivian tourism market, and that this poses the Chinese to have considerable influence on the Maldivian economy.

"The number of Indian tourists to Maldives has gone up from 10,000 to 40,000, but is still a lot lower as compared with the overall tourist arrivals of 10 lakh and 2.5 lakh Chinese tourists visiting that country," he said, reports the Times of India.

India must be aware about the clout of a country from which there is such a big tourist inflow, Mulay added.

Mulay, who has spent an more than three years as the head of the Indian mission in the Maldives will soon take over the position of Indian Consul General in New York.

Amongst political turmoil in the Maldives, the relations between India has suffered in during the past two years. India has also been the target of criticism from a number of political parties in the Maldives.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had criticized India for its quick recognition the Maldivian government after the controversial change of power in February 2012. Conversely, parties in the current coalition government have recently criticized India for allowing former president Nasheed to take refuge in compound of the Indian High Commission in Male’.