India voted against Maldives at UN vote: The Print
India voted for Indonesia out of frustration over President Abdulla Yameen’s ‘authoritarian’ administration
United Nations (UN) Security Council
India’s news outlet The Print has reported that India voted against Maldives at the vote to pick a member for the United Nation’s Security Council last week.
A government source told The Print that India voted for Indonesia for a non-permanent seat at the UN Security Council out of frustration over President Abdulla Yameen’s ‘authoritarian’ administration.
Maldives lost the election for the Asia-Pacific seat 144-46 in favor of Indonesia, which has previously served three terms on the UN Security Council.
The Print noted that India had assured of its support when Maldives began vying for a seat at the council as far back as 2008 when Maldives held its first free and fair election, electing Mohamed Nasheed as president.
However, President Yameen has been establishing much closer ties with China, India’s regional rival, even flying to China to sign a Free Trade Agreement with the country in late 2017.
The Hindu reported that Indian nationals are being refused work permits into Maldives at the ‘strict directive’ of the President’s Office.
“But India and its friends in the international community believe that the real reason Yameen wants to downgrade Delhi is because he wants no competition for the Chinese,” reported The Print.
The news outlet also reported that Yameen’s administration is becoming much closer with Pakistan, and that after Pakistani army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid a visit to Malé, Islamabad offered a USD 10 million loan to finance the purchase of two Super Mushak aircrafts from Pakistan’s Aeronautical Complex.
