President expresses concern in letter to Canadian PM, over

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has sent a letter to Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, drawing attention to the 'inappropriate and derogatory remarks’ made by Canadian Foreign Minister to Maldives Acting Foreign Minister, which the president described has “put unnecessary pressure on an otherwise excellent relationship” between the Maldives and Canada.

The President’s Office said that the president stated in his letter that during the Commonwealth Foreign Minister’s Meeting and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group meetings held in New York last September, Mr Baird posed several harshly worded questions as well as inappropriate and derogatory remarks to the Acting Foreign Minister concerning domestic politics in the Maldives.

The President noted in his letter that the Maldives and Canada have similar interests and concern on a wide range of issues in international politics and that the Maldives would “always be ready to work with Canada on those issues and expand relationship” between the two countries.