Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss the political situation in the Maldives with the UN Secretary General.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not discussed the Maldives with the UN Secretary General. Ministers and senior officials have met the Secretary-General’s Envoy for the Maldives, Mr Tamrat Samuel. Mr Samuel’s role is to encourage inclusive political dialogue in the Maldives, and we continue to call for all parties to engage constructively in that process. The British High Commissioner also met the UN Under-Secretary General for Political Affairs when he visited Colombo earlier this month.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had on putting the Maldives on the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group for the United Nations General Assembly.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
Ministers and officials are in close contact with international partners about the situation in the Maldives. The Government welcomes the conclusion of April 2016 by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) that its consideration of the situation in Maldives should continue. We also support its recommendations, in particular the need for the release of political leaders, the widening of space for civil society to operate in, and a swift implementation of reforms to strengthen separation of powers and independence of the judiciary in the Maldives. At its meeting in September, we hope CMAG will take firm action in line with its mandate to deal with persistent and serious violations of Commonwealth values.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Secretary General about the Maldives.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has not discussed the Maldives with the Commonwealth Secretary General. Senior officials in London and Colombo have discussed the Maldives with the Secretary General, her staff and her Special Envoy for Maldives, Dr Willy Mutunga.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what he discussed in his recent meeting with his Maldivian counterpart.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
I met the Foreign Minister for the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Asim, on 13 September. I discussed the importance of the UK/Maldives relationship, particularly with regard to the large number of UK tourists that visit the Maldives each year. I raised the Government’s concern about the decline in democracy and human rights in the Maldives, and urged the Maldives government to make progress on the recommendations made by the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group.
Asked by: Lord Swire (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to discuss the situation in the Maldives with John Kerry.
Answered by Alok Sharma - COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
The Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), has no plans to discuss the situation in the Maldives with John Kerry.