During today’s parliament session, the foreign affairs minister Abdul Shahid said that during the presidency of Abdul Yameen, the diplomatic ties with Qatar were severed in “the heat of the moment” and that research is in progress as to how this can be re-established.
The re-establishment of ties between Qatar and Maldives was one of the many promises made by the current president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
In today’s Parliament, Kaashidhoo constituency’s member and the leader of DRP, Abdullah Jabir questioned whether the government had any intentions of re-establishing diplomatic relations with Qatar, and whether this plan was a part of the manifesto. Answering these questions, He said that the goal of this government is to bring back the deserved respect and recognition that was taken away from the Maldives. Shahid said that they hoped to perpetuate diplomatic and economic ties with Islamic nations as well as other foreign nations.
“In International orders, severing a diplomatic tie is the last stage in a conflict between two nations. It’s the last resort. Even nations in war still maintain diplomatic relations. This is with reason, whether it be a diplomatic relationship or any other, the affliction of it is more dire,” said Shahid.
He said that it would take time to rebuild a severed relationship between two nations. He added that this requires patience and effort on both ends.
“What we see now is the result of the decision to cut ties, butcher ties, with some fellow Islamic nations. This decision was made in the heat of the moment. The role of this government is to initiate these ties with the nations. We will be working to build relationships with all nations, and not only Qatar.” said Shahid
Shahid also said that their main aim is to benefit the public through these relations and that public interest will be prioritized when building these democratic ties.
“In doing so, this government will not take any steps back”
Even though the previous government claimed that their decision to cut ties with Qatar was not influenced by any nations and would not disadvantage the public, many believed that this decision was highly influenced by the close relationship that has developed between Maldives and Saudi Arabia over the years.
