Diplomatic Briefing
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Newsline: Maldives eyes first U.S. embassy later this year or in early 2023
The Maldives hopes to see the United States open a first embassy in the country at the end of the year, or early next, and the Indian Ocean state hopes to reopen its embassy in Washington by the end of this year, the Maldivian foreign minister said on Sunday. Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid told an event in New York hosted by a U.S. think tank that he believes relations between the Maldives and Washington “have never been this strong.” “Hopefully by the end of this year, or early next year, we will have the United States embassy up and running in the Maldives, which is historic,” he said. He said the Maldives was looking for property to house an embassy in Washington and added: “It is our target that we will have our embassy up and running by the end of the year.” (https://news.yahoo.com/maldives-hopes-first-u-embassy-230515015.html) Shahid said the Maldives had an embassy in Washington after independence in 1965 but this had to be closed due to budgetary reasons. He said he reopened the embassy in 2007 in his previous stint as foreign minister, but it was closed again after a change of government in 2008. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the plan to open a U.S. embassy in the Maldives during a visit to the country in 2020. In July, U.S. President Joe Biden announced his intention to nominate a career foreign service officer, Hugo Yue-Ho Yon, to be ambassador to the Maldives. U.S. diplomatic dealings with the Maldives are currently handled through the U.S. embassy in politically troubled Sri Lanka, while the Maldives is represented in the United States via its mission to the United Nations.
Newsline: US to Open Embassy in Maldives
The United States is opening an embassy in the Maldives to strengthen economic and security cooperation five decades after the two nations established diplomatic ties. The move reflects “the continued growth of the U.S.-Maldives relationship and underscoring the United States’ unshakeable commitment to Maldives and the Indo-Pacific region,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement after his meetings in the Maldives with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. The latest move is seen as part of Washington’s push for a free and open Indo-Pacific to curb Beijing’s influence in the region. (https://www.voanews.com/usa/us-open-embassy-maldives-amid-geopolitics-competition-china) The United States does not have a consulate or embassy in Maldives currently but operates an American Center in Malé. The U.S. ambassador and embassy staff in Sri Lanka are accredited to Maldives and make regular visits to the island archipelago.
Newsline: Foreign Secretary announces new UK Embassy in Maldives
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that the UK will open a new Embassy in Malé, Maldives. More than 100,000 British nationals visit Maldives every year. The new Embassy will improve the UK’s ability to work with the Maldivian authorities on issues like tourist safety and security, and to provide consular support to British tourists. The new Embassy will also reflect the UK’s role as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region. In October 2018 the Foreign Secretary announced the biggest expansion of Britain’s diplomatic network for a generation, including 12 new Posts and nearly 1,000 new positions.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-announces-new-uk-embassy-in-maldives
Newsline: Russian embassy warns against visiting Maldives
The Russian Embassy in Sri Lanka has recommended Russians to refrain from visiting the Maldives because of unrest in that country, the embassy’s Consular Department whose area of responsibility includes the Maldives told TASS on Tuesday. “A signal has been sent to Moscow with recommendations to refrain from travelling to the Maldives in connection with certain unrest at the political level,” the embassy said. “To date, there have been no obvious threats, but there are preconditions for that.” On February 5, Maldivian President Abdullah Yamin declared a 15-day state of emergency in the country.
Newsline: Maldives denies deal with Indians in Nasheed row
The Maldivian government denied any deal to allow former president Mohamed Nasheed to end his refuge at the Indian embassy in the capital and resume election campaigning without fear of arrest. Presidential spokesman Abbas Riaz said Nasheed walked out of the embassy on Saturday afternoon of his own will and there was no agreement with an Indian mediator who rushed to the Maldives last week to resolve a tense standoff. “There is no deal, absolutely no deal with the Indians or anyone else,” Riaz said, in the government’s first reaction to Nasheed leaving the embassy to resume his political work. Nasheed, 45, sought refuge at the embassy on Feb.13, straining ties between regional power India and its small neighbour Maldives, after an arrest warrant was issued following his failure to attend court.
http://gulftoday.ae/portal/b2f0a826-eee1-4252-a993-8fcebc4e4add.aspx
Newsline: Former Maldives president leaves Indian embassy after ‘deal’
Thanks to India’s intervention, the crisis in the Maldives has blown over with the former President, Mohamed Nasheed, emerging out of the Indian High Commission in Male on Saturday. Fearing arrest, he had sought refuge at the High Commission office on February 13. The former President came out of his temporary home, the office of the first secretary at the High Commission, at 4.15 p.m., and walked on to the streets to a wild welcome by his party men. Though details of the ‘deal’ are yet to be announced, the Maldivian Democratic Party cadre did not seem to care. For them, their ‘Anni’ had come out a bigger leader from the crisis; the Maldivian government led by Mohamed Waheed Hasan had suffered a setback, and that from now they would work harder till the September presidential elections. “The former President had come to the Indian Mission in Male on February 13 on his own and had similarly decided to leave on his own. It is hoped that with this development the former President will resume his social and political life,” said a statement by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs. Mr. Nasheed thanked India for the support it had extended to him. “I am hopeful I will be able to continue the political activities and social life. I believe that even on issues that we disagree on, we can reach a compromise with the Maldivian government,” he said.
Newsline: India suggests not to ask Nasheed to leave Indian Embassy
Even as Maldives mounts up the pressure on India by issuing another arrest warrant against its former president Mohamed Nasheed, India said that it was upto Nasheed to decide if he wanted to leave the Indian High Commission in Male. Nasheed is now into his 6th day of stay at Indian Embassy in Maldives capital Male, where he had taken refuge on February 13, after a Maldivian court had issued an arrest warrant against him for not appearing into the court on Feb 10. In spite of Maldives upping the ante, India has said that it won’t ask the former president Nasheed to leave Indian High Commission, reports said. A Maldivian Court on Monday gave time till Wednesday 4 PM to the police for bringing Nasheed before it, prompting them to approach the Foreign Ministry asking it to get in touch with the Indian High Commission. The Maldivian Foreign Ministry has conveyed Nasheed’s court order to the Indian High Commission. Meanwhile, the situation showed no signs of resolution despite efforts at the official level to do so. Both India and Maldives also engaged in a war of words with the former denying that its Mission was being used for holding political meetings to incite violence here.
Newsline: Indian diplomats ‘interfering’ in Maldives
Indian diplomats are “interfering” in the country’s affairs by sheltering former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed in India’s embassy in Male, a senior Maldivian government official said. Nasheed has remained at the Indian embassy since Wednesday after taking refuge there to avoid being arrested over his failure to appear in court last weekend to face charges of abuse of power while he was president. “The fact of the matter is that some individual Indian diplomats are interfering in our internal affairs. This must stop,” a senior government official told AFP, asking not to be named. The official echoed Home Minister Mohamed Jameel’s remarks that no country should prevent a citizen of another country from facing charges. Jameel, in a series of tweets, stopped short of naming a specific culprit, but in a thinly veiled warning asked India to stay out of the affair. An earlier statement purporting to be from the Maldivian Judicial Service Commission (JSC) condemned the actions of India’s envoy to Male.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/336248/indian-diplomats-interfering-in-maldives-govt
Newsline: Maldives ex-president to stay in Indian Embassy
Former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed will stay in the Indian Embassy in Male until a caretaker government is formed, his party said, despite a government assurance he would not be arrested if left. Nasheed, the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader, who left office last year in contested circumstances, entered the Indian High Commission in the capital on Wednesday as police tried to arrest him in connection with a court case. His supporters, who say Nasheed was ousted last February in a coup, clashed with police outside the mission, the latest such unrest in the Indian Ocean archipelago which is best known as a luxury holiday destination. A court had ordered Nasheed’s arrest after he missed a February 10 court appearance in a case relating to accusations that he illegally detained a judge during the last days of his rule. But a government spokesman said on Thursday Nasheed no longer faced arrest. “Nasheed’s arrest warrant has ceased and he won’t be arrested,” Imad Masood, spokesman for President Mohamed Waheed Hussain Manik, told Reuters. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland issued a statement urging “all sides to remain calm, reject the use of violence, and avoid rhetoric that could increase tensions.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/14/us-maldives-nasheed-idUSBRE91D1F720130214
Newsline: Maldives ex-leader issues demands from Indian embassy
Former Maldivian leader Mohamed Nasheed, who has taken refuge at the Indian embassy in the capital to evade arrest, has demanded the dropping of charges against 800 party workers, his spokeswoman said Thursday. Mariya Didi also said Nasheed wanted India to take a lead in securing an end to the political crisis in the Indian Ocean atoll nation of of 330,000 Sunni Muslims. In a statement issued on Wednesday night from the besieged Indian diplomatic compound, Nasheed reiterated long-standing calls for his successor Mohamed Waheed to resign and allow a caretaker government to organise the elections. “Waheed should do the right thing and resign from office,” Nasheed said. Nasheed sought refuge at the Indian High Commission as police tried to execute a court order seeking his arrest for failing to turn up at his trial on Sunday. Nasheed had been visiting India at the time. “Mindful of my own security and stability in the Indian Ocean, I have taken refuge at the Indian High Commission in Maldives,” Nasheed wrote on Twitter a few hours after seeking safety in the embassy building on Wednesday. Armed police have been standing outside diplomatic compound. Nasheed has repeatedly claimed that his trial was a politically motivated attempt to prevent him from leading his Maldivian Democratic Party into polls in September. A conviction would disqualify him.
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