The government stated that it is working to find additional avenues to import fuel to the Maldives without depending on a specific country.
During a press conference held Thursday afternoon at the President's Office by the special ministerial committee working to resolve difficulties facing Maldivians due to the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel said that the Maldives currently imports fuel mainly from Middle Eastern countries.
He stated that due to the difficulties in bringing fuel from countries in that region because of the war, discussions are ongoing with other countries to find additional ways to obtain fuel.
However, Khaleel did not specify exactly which countries those were.
"As fuel is mainly brought to the Maldives from the Middle East, and since that region is currently closed off, I would like to state that arrangements are being made to ensure additional ways to obtain fuel from neighboring countries and other nations as well," Khaleel said.
"This is an effort to diversify fuel procurement instead of depending on a specific country or a few countries. I highlight that this is a very important matter, especially among the long-term efforts."
Request made to India for fuel
While Minister Khaleel spoke in that manner, the spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, stated in a press briefing held today that the Maldivian government has requested the assistance of the Indian government to obtain fuel required for the Maldives. He noted that in addition to the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have also requested India for fuel.
At a time when global fuel prices have risen by 25–30 percent, the Maldivian government has stated that any measures taken regarding changes to the price of goods will be done by taking those changes into account.
"When looking at oil and gas, we have them without any difficulty. However, the price of fuel has increased significantly," Finance Minister Moosa Zameer said.
"The President’s vision is to maintain fuel prices in a way that does not increase this burden on the general public. In that sense, to carry it out in a way that does not cause difficulties for certain businesses as well."
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu also gave the assurance last week that the Maldives would receive fuel without any difficulty.
