Maldives “protagonists” seeking Indian helping hand: The Hindu

The Maldivian government and former President Mohamed Nasheed are both looking forIndia to play a greater role in helping overcome the country’s ongoing political turmoil, reports Sandeep Dikshit for The Hindu newspaper.

With the Maldives impasse showing no sign of resolution, protagonists from both sides have now approached India for a helping hand.

Some leaders of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) are already in the country and the ousted President Nasheed is expected to arrive after a fortnight for an audience with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior officials.

From the other side, Foreign Minister Abdul Samad Abdullah in a meeting with External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna here on Tuesday said all parties in the Maldives welcomed Indian government’s “facilitation.”

Mr Krishna said India would be happy to help the Maldives tide over its current difficulties but in a reference to some Maldives parties going back on their word in the past, emphasised that New Delhi expected all parties, “including those supporting the government,” to contribute to its efforts to bringing about peace and stability in the Maldives.

At the same time, Mr. Krishna wanted the Maldives government to safeguard Indian commercial interests and maintain an investor friendly climate to continue attracting quality investments. Mr. Abdullah responded by assuring that the current government’s investment policy was unchanged and all existing agreements would be honoured.

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