'Peaceful Indian Ocean important': Maldives FM; thanks India for support for UNGA prez candidature

Describing his country as "heart of the Indian Ocean", Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has called for a "peaceful, prosperous and stable" region which he feels is an "essential factor" for the "prosperity of Maldives".

Speaking exclusively to WION'sSidhant Sibal during his ongoing Delhi visit, he said, "We will work with all our neighbours in making sure the region continues to be peaceful."

This has come at a time when India and Maldives are engaging in multiple ways on tackling challenges of the region such as terror and piracy, under a trilateral format with Sri Lanka — all three countries aim to better enhance the coordination.

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He lauded New Delhi for its vaccine outreach under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, saying, "We are very grateful to India for the vaccines it provided and the promptness with which it was provided."

The Maldives was one of the first countries to get made-in-India vaccines in January, just 48 hours after India began its mega domestic vaccination programme. He also appreciated India's support for his candidature for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) President.

WION: How do you characterise the relations between the two countries?

Abdulla Shahid: I have been recently describing the relationship between Maldives and India like a flight of a bird. A bird takes flight because the two wings flap together in unison. If one wing doesn't flap then the bird cannot fly, the flight is not there. The Maldives-India relationship is like the flight of a bird because countries flap their wings together and it's moving into new heights.

WION: India has been providing support to many countries including the Maldives amid the pandemic. Vaccines have been sent out to your country. What are your thoughts on that?

Abdulla Shahid:When India rolled out its vaccine programme Vaccine Maitri, Maldives received the gift of vaccines from India within 48 hours and we are very grateful for that.

We have been vaccinating our population and I am happy to say, 67 per cent of the population has been vaccinated now by the first dose. In the vaccinationprogramme, in the rollout, we do not discriminate among nationalities or among any status. Everyone in the Maldives, irrespective of the status or nationalities will get the opportunity to get vaccinated. No one is safe till everyone is safe. We are very grateful to India for the vaccines it provided and the promptness with which it was provided. We are counting on India and the Serum Institute to make available more doses so that people, who have taken the first dose, can also be given the second dose during the required period of 8-12 weeks.

WION: How do you see the ongoing security situation in the Indian Ocean, the collaboration with the regional countries?

Abdulla Shahid:The Maldives regards itself as the heart of the Indian Ocean. If you look at the Indian Ocean and compare it with the human body, Maldives lies where the heart lies and throughout ages, Maldives has been the route through which the travellers have been travelling, crossing the Indian Ocean. For us, it is very important that the Indian Ocean be a peaceful, prosperous, and stable regime, and also for the prosperity of Maldives, it is an essential factor. Also, for the prosperity of the Indian Ocean, it is essential Maldives be stable and essential. Therefore, we will work with all our neighbours in making sure that this is maintained.

WION: You are standing for President of the United Nations General Assembly. What is your country's main focus with this, considering you have got Indian support as well.

Abdulla Shahid:President Solih came into office promising re-engagement with the international community. You would recall, when President Solih took office, we had already left the Commonwealth, the previous regime had left the grouping. We have been marginalised internationally. So, for President Solih, the first decision as President was to put the candidature of Maldives for the 76th session of the General Assembly. President Solih's decision to nominate me for the candidature is a great honour and a privilege for me. But it’s Maldives candidature and the support of the Indian government for the Maldives candidature is very much appreciated and it is a great honour for the country.

We have been able to work with many countries in many parts of the world and I have been meeting representatives, foreign ministers, ambassadors from many, many countries. The support for the Maldives and the standing that the Maldives has risen internationally since Maldives President took office and we are very confident in the candidature.

WION: Since you landed in Delhi, you have had several engagements with many envoys and you will be meeting EAM. What is your main aim for this visit?

Abdulla Shahid:The envoys I have been meeting today have not been to the Maldives, they haven't been able to come to the Maldives for over a year due to the pandemic. So I am using my Delhi visit to brief them about the situation in the Maldives and the steps we have been taking during the pandemic. Many envoys represent countries from where tourists visit the Maldives, so it's good to keep them briefed about the developments in the country.

I am looking forward to my meeting tomorrow with the EAM Jaishankar, with whom we are going to review the status of so many projects that are currently undertaken by the Maldives through Indian assistance.

WION: Since you mentioned tourism, a key sector of your economy, how is it going? What, perhaps will you say to Indian tourists coming to your country?

Abdulla Shahid:We closed our borders on March 15, 2020. We reopened after three months on 15 July and India was the first country to have a travel bubble with the Maldives and we have been able to secure this travel arrangement between India and Maldives in such a way that tourists visiting the Maldives are safe. The [Covid case] numbers in the Maldives are coming down tremendously and the stay arrangements, the procedures that we have from the airport to the resorts, are very strict. The protocols are adhered to perfectly and it provides a safe passage to visitors.

Also, we are blessed with geography, we are an archipelago state, and the concept of one Island, one hotel makes it easy for any outbreak to be contained. So far we haven't got any outbreaks at any tourist resorts and we have been able to provide the tourists with secure confidence that they would require to be on holiday. My advice to all Indians is to come and visit us, gets some sun, sea and the beach.