'India has obligation to help safeguard democracy in Maldives'

Male, Mar 6: As the closest ally of Maldives, India has a moral obligation to ensure that democracy is safeguarded sustained in the country, Home Minister Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has said.

Talking to PTI here, Jameel said it would be a blow to India as well, if the nascent democracy in Maldives fails to live up to its promises. The comments came as reports said that some political parties were looking at India’s role in resolving the political crisis in the country as an interference in their internal affairs.

Jameel said he and coalition partners had always welcomed the role played by India as a facilitator in pushing all party talks for reconciliation and charting the future roadmap. “It will be a moral obligation on the part of India to see that democracy is sustained at Maldives, and if not it will be a blow to India as well as it the closest ally to our country,” he told PTI.

He also thanked Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai for his efforts to broker a deal between political parties and ensuring that the fractured polity set on a course of negotiations.

Mathai has made two visits to Maldives ever since the crisis erupted following Mohamed Nasheed’s ouster from power. On his latest visit to Male, Mathai made it clear that India was just a facilitator in the affairs and was playing the role as sought by President Mohammed Waheed Hassan.

Jameel clarified that he did not say that India was interfering in the internal affairs of Maldives as quoted by a report but his comments were referring to media reports over allegations of interference.

PTI