India refuted the allegations put forth by Maldivian Foreign Minister Ghassan Maumoon last week, which claimed that Indian military pilots conducted an operation in the Maldives without the required permits.

The Indian High Commission in the Maldives issued a statement on Tuesday, asserting that Indian aviation operations in the Maldives have consistently adhered to agreed-upon procedures and obtained proper authorization.

In contrast, Minister Ghassan, speaking at a press conference on Saturday, claimed to have knowledge of an aviation operation that took place without permission. He specifically mentioned an incident where an Indian-operated helicopter purportedly landed in Th. Thimaraushi without authorization—a matter he stated had been investigated by the Parliament’s Committee on National Security Services (241 Committee) during his tenure as a lawmaker.

Responding to the Minister’s remarks, the High Commission clarified that the incident in question, an emergency landing at Thimarafushi on October 9th, 2019, was necessitated by an unforeseen circumstance. They further explained that the landing occurred after obtaining necessary approvals from Air Traffic Control (ATC) to ensure the safety and security of the aircraft and its crew.

Maldives has recently been giving excuses to push India away, yet Maldives tourism minister and President when in India expect India to fund infrastructural projects inside Maldives. To his embarrassment, Defence minister of Maldives also had to admit— their military lacks pilots capable of operating three aircraft donated by India. This comes days after India withdrew 76 defence personnel, replaced by Indian civilians, from the island nation.

It’s a pity that Maldives seeks to please India but often ends up antagonizing India while attempting to impress China