President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said the Maldives stands ready to act as a mediator between India and Pakistan in order to revive SAARC meetings.
Speaking at today’s official ceremony marking Independence Day, the President said SAARC — the grouping of South Asian nations — is a regionally significant organisation, and that the stalling of its activities over the past nine years or so has been a major loss for the region.
SAARC activities have been suspended for years due to tensions between India and Pakistan. In 2016, following attacks on Indian soldiers in Kashmir carried out by Pakistan’s Jaish-e-Mohammed, six SAARC countries including India boycotted the SAARC summit that was scheduled to be held in Pakistan that year, forcing its cancellation.
The President called on both countries to set aside their differences and come to the negotiating table for the sake of regional development and peace. He noted that, should difficulties arise in doing so, the Maldives is ready to play the role of mediator.
“To those with disagreements, the Maldives calls on you to set those aside, prioritise unity for the development and peace of this region, and come to the table. And if that proves difficult, the Maldives is here to take the initiative — even to serve as a mediator to move those talks forward,” the President said.
Speaking on the country’s foreign policy, the President said escalating disputes to the point of war is not a principle the Maldives accepts, and that the Maldives will always advocate for peaceful solutions. He noted that the Maldives condemns the inhumane atrocities being inflicted on the Palestinian people by Israel, and that the Maldives will always stand against that genocide.
The President noted that, apart from Israel, the Maldives will maintain diplomatic relations with countries big and small around the world. He gave assurance that the decision barring entry to the Maldives on Israeli passports will be upheld with pride.
“We decided, with pride, that this country cannot be entered on an Israeli passport. We will maintain that. With every other country, we will have close ties,” the President said.
He further noted that this government’s foreign policy is built on maintaining close ties with Arab-Islamic countries, and that this is the policy best aligned with the Maldivian people. He said these policies will bring contentment and prosperity to Maldivian citizens.
