Maldives will not pursue defence agreement with US: President Yameen

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that Maldives will not pursue a State of Forces Agreement (SOFA) proposed by the United States.

“There have been discussions before, we are not going to pursue it,” said the President, speaking to reporters during his current visit to Sri Lanka. The president did not provide details.

However, Minister at the President’s Office Mohamed Shareef said the decision was made over fears that the agreement would upset India.

“We have told them that we can’t do it because both India and Sri Lanka are also not happy with it,” Shareef said.

In June last year, a local online blog released scans of a document claiming to be a draft copy of a Status of Forces Agreement to be signed by Maldives and the United States. The agreement alleged to allow the U.S. to establish military bases in the Maldives.

Defence Minister Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim, who still holds the post, promptly refuted the claims.

“SOFA is an agreement that allows US military trainings to be conducted in different countries. It does not involve establishing a base. They have not proposed to establish a base, and the government has not decided on the SOFA agreement,” said the Defence Minister, in an interview to Sun in April last year.