A ministerial delegation from Maldives met with senior officials from the European Union (EU) External Action Service in Brussels on Wednesday, to discuss the political situation of the island nation.
In a press release, the EU stated that the talks focused on the "continuing deterioration of democracy" in the archipelago, stressing "the critical importance of credible, transparent and inclusive Presidential elections in the Maldives both for the democracy in the country and for future relations between the EU and the Government of Maldives."
The EU delegation had discussed the conclusions passed by all 28 members of the EU Council last February, in which they had declared that the Maldivian government was infringing political and human rights, and hindering free and fair elections. The conclusions had further referred to possible targeted measures against Maldives if its situation did not improve.
"The EU underlined that the parliament and the judiciary should be enabled to return to their normal functioning in accordance with the Constitution and opposition parties should be enabled to perform their role in accordance with democratic standards. In particular, the EU reiterated the importance of the Maldivian Government and leaders of the opposition engaging in a genuine dialogue to address key democratic issues," read the statement.
The Maldives delegation was led Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim, accompanied Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture Mohamed Shainee, and Minister for Legal Affairs at the President's Office, Azima Shakoor.
Recently, members of the opposition alliance have been declaring that the EU would enforce targeted sanctions against Maldives as there were no improvements in the situation. However the Maldivian Ambassador to the EU and Belgium, Ahmed Shiaan, has countered the rumours, stating that Wednesday's sit-down was a prearranged one and that the European Union would not take action against the island nation.
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