Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that the countries who recognized the Maldives government following the change of power in February 2012, were the countries that had refused to sign the 2009 Copenhagen Accord.

The former president made his statements at a foreign policy forum during his recent travels to Denmark. Nasheed had suggested that the countries that promptly recognized the Maldivian government after the change of power had vested interests and that they were “ironically” the countries that had refused to sign the Copenhagen Accord.

“One of the American commentators has suggested that Maldives was the first climate change coup. Unfortunately, I’m never a strong believer of conspiracy theories, but unfortunately or ironically, the countries who did not want to sign the Copenhagen Accord were the countries who instantly recognized the government in Maldives,” former president Mohamed Nasheed said.

While India and United States have been previously criticized by the former president for their hasty recognition of the current government, the government of China has noticeable started show a special interest in their relationship with the Maldivian government.

United States, India and China were some of the first countries to oppose the Copenhagen Accord. Climate change analysts have described COP 15 as a complete failure following the changes brought to the Copenhagen Accord by China and the U.S.