US denies visa to minister Shaheem for UN meeting on Palestine

United States has denied a visa to Maldives Islamic Minister Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, preventing him from attending a high-level UN meeting on Palestinian affairs in New York.

The "High-Level International Conference on the Implementation of the Two-State Solution" is being held at the UN headquarters from 29 to 30 July. Minister Shaheem had been scheduled to represent the Maldives at the event.

However, due to the visa refusal, Maldives will instead be represented by its Permanent Representative to the UN, Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed, who is also expected to deliver a statement during the conference.

“Shaheem was not able to attend the meeting because he was not issued a visa,” a source said.

The minister had applied through the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, but was not given a reason for the denial.

“If a visa is rejected, the standard procedure is to inform the applicant,” a foreign affairs expert said.

Attempts to reach Minister Shaheem for comment were unsuccessful.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Maldives’ participation in the conference reaffirms the country’s longstanding support for international efforts to achieve peace, stability and justice for the Palestinian people.

Maldives has consistently backed the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in line with relevant UN resolutions.

Since taking office, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has made defending Palestine a key foreign policy priority.