President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Saturday, announced Maldives' official reintegration into the Commonwealth of Nations as its 54th Member State.
A short while ago, I had a conversation with the Commonwealth’s Secretary General who informed me that the Maldives has been formally reinstated into the Commonwealth as it’s 54th member state. We shall long strive to uphold the Commonwealth’s values of democracy and human rights
— Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (@ibusolih) February 1, 2020
The Commonwealth Secretariat conducted the First Assessment Mission in January 2019 after President Solih formally requested the Secretary General to allow Maldives to rejoin the organization in December 2018. A Second Assessment Mission arrived in the country on August 2019.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid formally submitted all documentation required under the membership criteria to the Secretary-General in June 2019.
Rejoining the Commonwealth was a key electoral pledge of President Solih' administration. The decision to re-apply for membership was concluded within a week of the government's rise to power.
Maldives initially joined the Commonwealth on July 9, 1982, leaving on October 13, 2016, during the tenure of former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, after 34 years as a member of the intergovernmental organization.
Yameen exited the organization claiming that it was meddling with the civil issues of the country and differentiating between other member states.
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