India rejects Maldivian Foreign Minister

Indian newspapers have reported that the Indian government has rejected a request from the Maldivian Foreign Minister to visit India to facilitate an official visit by President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik.

The Indian Express reported today that Foreign Minister Dr. Abdul Samad Abdulla had visited Delhi on a personal capacity recently, and had requested for meetings in order to facilitate President Mohamed Waheed’s visit to India. The president’s attempt for a visit follows as part of the efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries. The Indian government however, had not given much attention to the Foreign Minister’s request, reports The Indian Express.

The Indian government turned down the official request by the Maldivian Foreign Minister as a means of sending a strong signal to the Maldives that India is not willing to engage with the current leadership, after the controversy regarding GMR, reports the newspaper.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is said to have lost confidence in President Waheed because, during his last visit to India, President Waheed had assured the prime minister that the Maldivian government will not terminate the GMR contract despite political pressure.

The paper reports that the worsening of ties between the two countries has caused the Indian government to impose some restrictions on the Maldives which include difficulties in obtaining visas for Maldivians for long term stay and inconveniences now faced by Maldivian vessels picking up essentials from Indian ports.

The Maldivian Foreign Ministry has not yet attested to these reports by the Indian press. The Ministry said today that the Maldivian government will soon release a statement regarding these reports.