President Abdulla Yameen met with the various ambassadors that attended the second ambassadorial workshop “Developing Sustainability: Sharing Experiences, Seeking Solutions,” who praised him for the current political state in the Maldives.

The workshop was held in the Maldives, from March 30 to April 2.

At the meeting held at the President’s Office on Monday, President Yameen spoke on his administration’s various accomplishments and “the rapid growth and advancement attained by the Maldives in all areas of development in a short period of time,” said the President’s Office. The President also emphasized that “it was his presidential electoral pledge to bring about a quality of life for the people”.

He also briefed the delegation on the current political situation in the country, assuring them that that the recent state of emergency had not affected the daily lives of the people, highlighting that “there was no enforcement of a curfew and general movements, services and businesses were not affected”.

President Yameen “assured the commitment accorded by the administration to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the Maldivian people and foreign visitors,” and that it “continues to work towards strengthening the country’s democracy”.

Agreeing “with the challenges faced by the Maldives,” the President’s Office said that the delegation of ambassadors had “highlighted the favourable political and economic state in the Maldives presently”.

While UN representatives from countries such as Albania, Georgia, Nigeria, Zambia and Zimbabwe took part in the workshop, it aims to provide a useful platform for everyone to discuss, exchange lessons and best practices on developing sustainably, and on how economic growth is undertaken while preserving the country's natural environment.

A delegation of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPA) was in the Maldives for a three-day visit last week to ‘continue engagement with the Government, political parties and civil society representatives,’ and met with officials from both the opposition and government.

After the political crisis in the country intensified, following the declaration of a state of emergency, the government had sent out an open invitation to its international partners, welcoming them to monitor the situation in the country. However, when representatives from the European Union, including its Ambassador to the Maldives Tung-Lai Margue, President Yameen and government officials refused to meet with them.

The ambassadors had expressed concern over the matter, with Ambassador Margue highlighting that it was the Government of Maldives that had invited them “guaranteeing dialogue,” and that despite their multiple requests to meet with government officials had “not been honoured”.