New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs is assessing the diplomatic fallout with Maldives over its decision to cancel a $500 million Male airport contract with GMR. Government sources on Thursday said it was inevitable that India's ties with Maldives would be hit over the commercial dispute.
According to sources, the anti-India climate in the country cannot be taken lightly, adding that the security of as many as 30,000 Indians working there was the most important issue for the government as of now.
This came even as the Indian envoy met Maldivian foreign minister over the issue in Male on Thursday. Though the government in Maldives has assured India that its nationals would not be harmed, the government continues to closely review the situation in the country.
Earlier, the Maldives Attorney General had indicated to CNN-IBN that the contract was scrapped after it was found to be void. India had called the move a bad message for foreign investors while GMR termed the cancellation as unlawful and was planning to take legal action against the Maldivian government. The $500 million project had been awarded during the tenure of former president Mohamed Nasheed, who was ousted in a coup in February 2012. The airport project had been in limbo following the regime change.
Speaking to CNN-IBN, Maldivian Attorney General Aishath Azima Shakoor had said it was impossible to carry on with the contract. "The contract was terminated purely on legal grounds. We came to the conclusion that it's a void contract. It will be impossible to carry on with the contract," she said.
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