Minister of Foreign Affairs Dunya Maumoon has underscored the Government’s main foreign policy aim of safeguarding the freedom of the Maldives today. Responding to a question posed by a Member of Parliament on whether the Maldives consulted its neighbours before the decision to join the Chinese initiative named Twenty-First Century Maritime Silk Road, the Foreign Minister stated that, “Protecting the independence and sovereignty of Maldives is the Government’s utmost national interest”.
“We should not let another country’s interest trump ours. This Government will not allow such a compromise!” added the Minister.
Continuing her statement, the Minister recalled that the foreign policy of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom is premised on protecting the independence and sovereignty of the Maldives and that in this regard, the decision to join the Chinese initiative, or any initiative for that matter, is based on the promotion of the national interest and increasing the economic resilience of the Maldives.
Recalling the Agreement of Independence signed between the Maldives and the United Kingdom in 1965 Minister Dunya stated that under Article 2 of the Agreement, “the Maldives is not obliged to seek the consent of any other in the conduct of its foreign policy. We obtained full control over our foreign relations”.
She further added that even during the height of the Cold War, then Presidents Ibrahim Nasir, and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, did not align the Maldives with any military or political alliance or groups. The Minister added that if the Maldives had aligned with a specific alliance at that time, the freedom to conduct an independent foreign policy would have been lost to the nation.
“We must always remember that there might be those seeking to undermine the independence we won in 1965. We must not aid any efforts to do so”, concluded the Foreign Minister.
The question was posed by Honourable Member of Parliament for Shaviyani Komandoo Ahmed Naashid.