Amid the on-going crisis, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Wednesday reached out to friendly countries and announced envoys to China,…
Maldives Emergency (Photo: AFP PHOTO/Mihaaru/STR)
Amid the on-going crisis, Maldives President Abdulla Yameen on Wednesday reached out to friendly countries and announced envoys to China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The envoys will visit “friendly nations of the Maldives” and “provide updates on the current situation”.
India was the first stop planned for a visit by a special envoy of the Maldivian president but it could not take place due to scheduling issues of the Indian leadership, the island nation’s envoy said on Thursday.
“India was in fact the first stop planned and proposed for a visit of a special envoy of the president of Maldives. However, the dates proposed were not suitable for the Indian leadership,” PTI quoted Maldivian envoy Ahmed Mohamed as saying.
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“We understand the external affairs minister is out of the country and the Prime Minister is leaving for UAE during the week,” he added.
President Yameen has sent minister of economic development Mohamed Saeed to China and foreign minister Mohamed Asim to Pakistan in the wake of the crisis. Minister of fisheries and agriculture Mohamed Shainee is going to Saudi Arabia.
India, which is monitoring the situation very “closely”, said on Tuesday that it was “disturbed” about the declaration of emergency by the Maldivian government and described as a matter of “concern” the arrests of the chief justice and political figures there.
On Wednesday, China supposedly warned India against military intervention in island, cautioning that it could complicate the situation.
Maldives had plunged into chaos last week when the Supreme Court called for the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, ruling that their trials were politically motivated and flawed.
The government had refused to implement the ruling, after which several protests were witnessed.
Exiled former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed had requested India to send “envoy, backed by its military” to release judges and political detainees.
(With PTI inputs)
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