Indian Foreign Secretary visits Maldives; US working closely with India to resolve the political crisis in the Maldives; Commonwealth Ministerial Mission visits Maldives; China makes its first official statement regarding the recent political developmen
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    • Reports noted that new Maldives President Dr Mohamed Waheed met with Indian Foreign Secretary Shri Ranjan Mathai on February 15, 2012 at the President’s Office. The President briefed the Foreign Secretary on measures being taken to find an amicable solution to the political problem. 1

    Meanwhile, the United States has said that it is “working closely with India” to resolve the political crisis in the Maldives. “Our understanding is that we are pretty well in lockstep with India in terms of calling for unity and calling for a democratic, peaceful path forward,” said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland. Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake recently travelled to the Maldives to assess the situation. 2

    In another development, according to reports, a Commonwealth ministerial mission visited Maldives capital, Malé, to gain a better understanding of recent events. The ministerial mission was led by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Communications of Trinidad and Tobago, Surujrattan Rambachan. He is accompanied by Dr Dipu Moni, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, and Dennis Richardson AO, Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia. 3

    According to reports, nearly one week later after the dramatic regime change in the Maldives, China made its first official statement regarding policies towards the new government on February 13. “As a friendly neighbor of the Maldives, China respects the Maldivian people’s independent choice, and sincerely hopes that the country can realise national stability, social harmony and economic development at an early date,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weiming said in Beijing. 4

    In other developments, according to reports, President Dr Mohamed Waheed met with the delegates from European Union on February 13, 2012 at the President’s Office. Discussions at the meeting were focused on the current political climate in the country. 5 President Dr Mohamed Waheed also met with Mr Martine Chungong, Inter Parliamentary Union’s Director of Programmes. Explaining the purpose of his visit, Mr Chungong said his visit was to gather information on the current situation and to identify ways the IPU could assist the Maldives. 6

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