Zaki

The Ministry of Defence has said that the statements made to Indian papers by former Special Advisor to the President, Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, could threaten the national security of the Maldives.

A statement issued by Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) tonight in this regard states that Zaki’s statements could harm the sovereignty and independence, and threaten the national security of the Maldives.

Indian papers reported Zaki saying in an interview that the activities against GMR are related to “an Islamic fundamentalist issue”, and that if the Maldives were taken over by extremist terrorist groups, he would have “no choice but to call in forces from India”.

MNDF strongly condemned Zaki’s statements, and said that such statements could encourage groups that try to harm the Maldives, as well as adversely affect the historic relations between India and Maldives.

MNDF highlighted that the two countries have had strong bilateral ties for many years, and expressed confidence that the relations will remain the same, and that India will assist Maldives if officially requested by the Maldivian government in the future.