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 his international counterparts on possible sanctions to be imposed on the Maldives government.

We have not discussed the possibility of sanctions with international partners, though we are keeping all options under review.
We regularly engage with international partners over our concerns in the Maldives, including working through the Commonwealth and European Union. I spoke to the Commonwealth Secretary-General on 16 June to discuss the situation in the Maldives including the importance of political dialogue. We have noted the European Parliament’s joint motion calling for European action against the Maldives.

As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), said on 24 June there needs to be political dialogue and the release of all political prisoners in the Maldives, including former President Nasheed.