Amid India snub, Maldives sends envoys to China, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
Maldives' embattled President Abdulla Yameen, under global scrutiny, sent envoys to "friendly" China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to brief them about the political crisis in his Indian Ocean atoll nation as India politely declined to host his Foreign Minister. A day after the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called the Maldivian crisis an "all-out assault on democracy", an EU delegation arrived in the Maldives as Yameen continued to tighten his grip on power.
A statement from the President's office said the three envoys would visit "friendly nations ... and provide updates on the current situation". Yameen sent his Economic Development Minister Mohamed Saeed to China, Foreign Minister Mohamed Asim to Pakistan and Farming and Fisheries Minister Mohamed Shainee to Saudi Arabia, his office said. The Maldivian Embassy in New Delhi meanwhile denied that Yameen ignored India while reaching out to other countries. An embassy statement said Foreign Minister Asim was scheduled to reach India on Thursday but the visit was cancelled at New Delhi's request. According to the statement, Male was told the date was not suitable for India's leadership and that it was "grossly misleading" to say that the Maldives bypassed India.
The Maldivian Ambassador to India, Ahmed Mohamed, expressed disappointment over New Delhi's refusal to host the Foreign Minister. New Delhi has received multiple appeals from the country's exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed to intervene to resolve the deepening crisis, saying that seeking an internal solution to the ongoing cri-