Grant time to special envoy for talks, Maldives tells Delhi

Shubhajit Roy, The Indian Express

Image from article, with caption: Maldivian police officers stand guard on a street after Maldives President Abdulla Yameen declared a state of emergency for 15 days, in Male, Maldives February 6, 2018.

Excerpt:

For the second time in the last 10 days, amid an ongoing political crisis in Maldives, the island nation has approached India with a request to allow a special envoy to meet the Indian leadership at a “convenient time” for New Delhi. ...

Asked if he had a message for India, Mohamed said, “Let us meet at the highest possible levels, and try to understand the situation in Maldives. And, we would like India to lend a helping hand in resolving the differences and focussing on coming out of the current situation.”

Asked what he meant by a “helping hand”, he said, “Public statements are not a helping hand. Closed door discussions are needed. Public diplomacy comes in when all else fails.” Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the Indian government would monitor what steps are being taken in the next few days by the Maldives government.