Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has requested the United Kingdom’s help in Maldives’ efforts to rejoin the Commonwealth of Nations.
Shahid confirmed this in a tweet on Sunday.
In the tweet, Shahid said he met with UK Ambassador James Dauris and requested their support with the fast tracking of Maldives’ request to rejoin the Commonwealth.
He also welcomed UK’s decision to open an Embassy in capital city Male’.
Great pleasure, as always, meeting with UK Ambassador @JamesDauris. We warmly welcome the decision by the UK to open an Embassy in Male. Have requested support with the fast tracking of our request to rejoin the Commonwealth @commonwealthsec, pic.twitter.com/uQdMNVOCSH
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) January 20, 2019
After President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sent a letter of intent to rejoin the Commonwealth, Secretary General Patricia Scotland welcomed the move.
The Maldives became a member of the Commonwealth in 1982 but left in October 2016 after the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group found that then-President Abdulla Yameen’s administration was guilty of violating the rights of his political rivals and threatened to suspend the Maldives if the situation is not resolved.
