President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said the allegation that foreign troops are stationed in Maldives is a "blatant lie."
Speaking during a campaign rally at Raa Inguraidhoo on Thursday morning, Solih who is running for re-election blasted rivals for making the allegation.
"Some candidates are claiming that foreign troops are in islands that they visit. Can anyone else see that? It's not right to make such allegations to deceive the people," Solih stated.
The President said that the Maldives is an independent country and that no other country can overturn a decision made by the Maldives.
Solih said some political leaders promote "nationalism" as cutting off from the international community and their policy is total isolation.
"The previous governments had a completely different mindset. They made the people believe that isolationism is nationalism," he claimed.
Announcing that the United States is preparing to establish an embassy in Maldives, Solih said Maldives had earned the trust of foreign powers.
"If any of these things change, the grant aid and loan assistance will be disrupted in the future. Our policies are intertwined with each of these things," he said.
