Not much can be done to solve problems faced by Indian investors: Gayoom

President of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has said that not much can be done at the moment to solve the recent problems faced by Indian investors in the Maldives.

In a statement issued last night, PPM said that Gayoom said this during a meeting with Indian External Minister Salman Khurshid, during his ongoing visit to India.

PPM said that Salman Khurshid expressed concerns during the meeting regarding the discontent of the Indian public due to the Maldives’ recent actions against Indian investors, and the criticisms faced by the Indian government following those developments.

In this regard, Salman Khurshid urged Gayoom to work towards solving the problems faced by Indian investors in the Maldives.

PPM said that Gayoom responded to this request by saying that there is not much that can be done at the moment to find solutions to those problems, and added that efforts would be made to improve the relations between India and the Maldives if PPM establishes a government. Gayoom said that a PPM government would not allow any activity that might interfere with regional peace.

Other issues discussed during the meeting include the suspension of the export of aggregate from India, and problems faced in relation to visa.

Salman Khurshid said that the visa problem remains unsolved because Indians working in the Maldives are not treated well enough, and that complaints in this regard have been voiced by Indian parliament members who represent those foreign workers.

He said that problems are being faced in the export of aggregate because environment protection groups in India are working towards halting the export of aggregate from India. He said that discussions are ongoing with relevant groups in Chennai to establish policies in relation to this issue.

President Gayoom also met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as part of his ongoing visit to India.

The Maldivian government, in which Gayoom’s PPM is included, has terminated its agreement with Indian company GMR. In an interview to The Hindu during this visit to India, Gayoom 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,” Gayoom said.