Former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has said that it is the U.S. rather than China that could upset the balance of power in the Indian Ocean.
In an interview to the Indian newspaper The Hindu during his current visit to India, reacting to reports of the U.S. and the Maldives discussing a Status of Force Agreement (SOFA), former President Maumoon said: “I am not happy. I didn’t want that to happen.”
“There are no such moves from China,” Mr. Gayoom said, when he was asked about reports of a Chinese Navy presence, now that Beijing has opened an embassy in the Maldives.
Former President Gayoom said that he appreciated the role played by India during his presidency.
“I am happy with India’s role in my 30 years of presidency. There is no threat from the Indian side. I appreciate what it has done in the social and economic sectors,” he told The Hindu.
Speaking for the first time on the cancellation the of the GMR-led consortium’s contract, Maumoon said that former president Mohamed Nasheed had not sought proper approval from the parliament before making the deal with GMR.
“This was a mistake. Had he consulted all political parties, the public would not have formed the impression that corruption had taken place. Then we told the next President Mr. Waheed that he should hold discussions with the GMR Group and the Indian government to arrive at an acceptable solution, after which the government was free to act on its own. Unfortunately, this was not done and suddenly there was this unhappy ending,” Maumoon said.
Former President Maumoon has met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid during the visit.