India says envoy had 'pre-planned' meeting at Maldives FM

The Indian Ambassador to Maldives arrived at the Foreign Ministry on Monday for a pre-planned meeting, the Indian High Commission in Maldives said.

Maldives' Ambassador to India Ibrahim Shaheeb was summoned to the Indian External Affairs Ministry this morning over tensions between the two countries over the defamation of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media by Maldivian government officials.

Afterwards, Indian Ambassador to Maldives Munu Mahawar visited the Foreign Ministry this afternoon.

In the wake of reports that the Indian ambassador was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian High Commission said that the ambassador Dr Ali Naseer Mohammad had gone to the Ministry of External Affairs for a pre-scheduled meeting with its Ambassador at Large.

The meeting was held to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries.

Ambassadors in countries are summoned to their foreign offices to inform them of unsatisfactory issues and ask them about their views on the matter. This is a rule that is followed when it comes to foreign affairs.

With the photos and video of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Lakshadweep on Thursday, some people in India launched the video as a tourism campaign against Maldives. Thus:

The Foreign Ministry has also issued a statement condemning their actions.