Foreign Minister: MVR 7.5M spent on official visits, outcome positive

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid reports the total expenditure on his official visits to foreign nations so far this year was considerably lower than the one year’s expenditure on officials visits of the Foreign Minister during the previous administration.

Foreign Minister Shahid was summoned for questioning by the Parliament this Wednesday.

Speaking in respond to a question, Shahid said that while the previous administration had also made multiple visits to bilateral partners, it had never disclosed the expenditure details of the visits.

The outcome of the visits was also unclear, said Shahid.

“According to State records, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spent MVR 27 million on official visits last year, during President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration,” said Shahid.

He said the outcome of the visits had been further suffering and isolation of the Maldivian people.

Several parliamentarians requested expenditure details of Minister Shahid’s official visits during this Wednesday’s session.

Shahid said he, during his eight months in office, visited 19 countries, and met with representatives from 74 countries including five Presidents, six Prime Ministers, 32 Foreign Ministers, 48 Ambassadors and other officials from 28 countries for bilateral talks.

He said the State spent MVR 7.5 million of the visits.

He said the visits had been designed to end the years of isolation of the Maldivian people, and that the outcome of the visits had been positive.

Shahid also said that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in his visits to four countries, secured MVR 1.9 billion in grant assistance to Maldives in just three months.

He said that the value of grant assistance secured by President Solih in three months was equivalent to the total grant assistance secured by President Yameen in four years.

Shahid was also questioned regarding the administration’s work to restore the bilateral ties which were severed with Qatar during the former administration. He did not provide a direct response to the question, which was asked by Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir.

Shahid said he couldn’t say a specific date when ties would be restored with Qatar.

He said that the foreign policy of the previous administration had led deterioration of ties with friendly Islamic nations, isolation of the Maldivian people, and loss the respect and honor it once enjoyed within the international community.

Shahid said it was one of the administration’s top priorities to restore the respect and standing it previously enjoyed within the international community, and establish and reinforce diplomatic and economic ties with both Islamic and non-Islamic countries.

He said that severance of diplomatic ties should be taken only as a last resort, and it will take time to restore ties that are severed.

“We are conducting the necessary studies and engaging in negotiations to restore ties with Qatar and other countries which were severed,” said Shahid.