India, US working together on Maldives: Nuland

Washington, Feb 18: Welcoming efforts of "all sides" to find a peaceful way forward in Maldives, US has said it was working closely with India in resolving the political impasse in the island nation.

"We welcome the efforts that all sides appear to be making to find a peaceful way forward," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference.

"We also welcome the ongoing dialogue among Maldivians regarding the role of a unity government in addressing these issues and possibly creating the conditions for early elections. We're continuing to urge all parties to work together to find a way through this," she said.

Nuland said US has been closely coordinating with India, which has "traditionally played a strong role". "Our understanding is that we are pretty well in lockstep with India in terms of calling for unity and calling for a democratic, peaceful path forward," she said.

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake and his Indian counterpart were working very closely together on these issues, she said. Blake had recently travelled to Maldives to take stock of the situation.

PTI