Maumoon: Unity vital for peace within Indian Ocean region

Former Maldivian President and Leader of ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Maumoon Abdul Gayoom has called out for a platform for continued dialogue between countries of the Indian Ocean region to discuss the challenges to peace and security within the region, and to find solutions to overcome them.

Speaking during the Indian Ocean Conference 2016 in Singapore on Friday, Maumoon also noted that civil peace, development of democratic institutions and promotion of democratic values within the society of each and every Indian Ocean country in order to maintain overall peace and security of the Indian Ocean region.

Maumoon listed human trafficking, drug trafficking, extremism and terrorism as the major challenges facing the region.

He noted the importance of a platform for continued dialogue between countries to overcome the challenges and ensure peace, unity and prosperity of the region.

After his speech, Maumoon was questioned by a participant of the conference regarding the involvement of Maldivian youth in the terrorist organization - Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Maumoon said that news stories of the extent of the involvement of Maldivians in ISIL was grossly exaggerated by the international media.

He said that the challenge was something faced not just by Maldives, but by a lot of countries globally, and that sufficient steps were being taken by the Maldivian government in order to control it.

He also said that Islam was a religion of peace, and that the atrocities licensed by ISIL was not something condoned by the Islamic religion.

Indian Ocean Conference is an event organized by Indian NGO – India Foundation and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) of Singapore.

21 countries participated in the conference, with Maumoon chosen to represent Maldives.