Maldives requests Commonwealth to fast-track rejoining process
The Secretary-General also offered to send election observers to Maldives’ parliamentary election
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid with Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has requested Patricia Scotland, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, to accelerate the process of Maldives rejoining the association.
He made the request during their meeting on Sunday during his trip to London.
During their meeting, Minister Shahid said that the Secretary-General also offered to send election observers to Maldives’ parliamentary election in April.
The Commonwealth stated that it has pledged to work with Maldives by first sending an assessment mission next week.
The Maldives became a member of the Commonwealth in 1982 but left in October 2016 after then-President Abdulla Yameen refused to abide by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group after it found that the administration was guilty of violating the rights of his political rivals, and threatened to suspend the Maldives if the situation is not resolved.
