All pacts will be honoured: Foreign Minister
India has impressed upon the Maldivian government the need to push for
reconciliation in the island nation even as the latter updated New Delhi on
the commission of inquiry that has been appointed by the government of
Maldives to look into the circumstances surrounding the transfer of power in
February this year.
These and other issues were discussed when
visiting foreign minister of Maldives Abdul Samad Abdulla held
delegation-level talks with the Indian side led by external affairs minister
S.M. Krishna here on Tuesday.
It was on February 7 that the then President
of the Maldives Mohammed Nasheed was ousted. The first
democratically-elected head of government in the archipelago, Mr Nasheed had
claimed that he was forcibly ousted though New Delhi thinks otherwise. Mr
Krishna is said to have emphasised to the Maldivians that India has an
abiding interest in ensuring peace and stability in Maldives and has been
happy to use its good offices to facilitate forward movement on the
political impasse in the island nation. He emphasised that while India is
happy to assist in every possible way, it expects all parties, including
those supporting the government to contribute to India’s sincere efforts to
bringing about peace and stability in Maldives.
Dr Abdulla on his part said that all parties
in Maldives welcomed India’s facilitation. He also thanked India for the
release of $20 million of the $100 million standby credit facility to
Maldives and rolling over the $50 million in treasury bonds with the State
Bank of India by one year. The Maldivian foreign minister also assured that
India’s commercial interests in the island nation was safe when Mr Krishna
raised the issue and underlined the need to maintain an investor-friendly
climate to continue attracting quality investments. Dr Abdulla “assured that
all existing agreements will be honoured”.