Maldives’ re-admission was supported by India, when external affairs minister S Jaishankar called for the process to be fast-tracked during the 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting in London in July 2019.
Maldives, which left the Commonwealth in 2016 at the height of political turmoil in Male and re-applied to join the group following the election of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as president in 2018, has been re-admitted, official sources said on Saturday.
Maldives became the Commonwealth’s 54th member-state, marking the end of a process that began in December 2018, when the new president wrote to the secretary-general Patricia Scotland, expressing the country’s interest in re-joining.
After due diligence, which included country assessment and consultations in accordance with the rules and procedures agreed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kampala in 2007, Maldives has been re-admitted, the London-based secretariat said.
Maldives’ re-admission was supported by India, when external affairs minister S Jaishankar called for the process to be fast-tracked during the 19th Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting in London in July 2019.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s election was welcomed by India. Maldives was the first country Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited after his government was returned to office in May.
Scotland said: “I warmly congratulate Maldives on its successful application. We are delighted to welcome the country and its people back to the Commonwealth. The reform process underway in Maldives aligns with the values and principles of the Commonwealth”.
“Commonwealth members were pleased to note these developments and are happy once again to count Maldives as a member of the family. Together we will support Maldives to realise its ambitions.”
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said: “Today is a happy day for Maldivians. As a young democracy, the Commonwealth’s foundational values of the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, multilateralism and world peace remain relevant to us more than ever”.
“We gratefully acknowledge the support and help of the Commonwealth to the Maldivian democratic movement, and we look forward to the support of fellow member states to ensure the long term entrenchment of these values in our society.”
Maldives, which initially joined the group in 1982 and left in 2016, will now be part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda from June 22.
