The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the joint press statement released by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) alleging the participation of the Maldives in the “China-Indian Ocean Forum on Development Cooperation”, held on 21 November 2022.
The Ministry would like to clarify, that the Government of Maldives did not participate in the above-mentioned Forum, and communicated its decision not to participate to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the Maldives on 15 November 2022. Furthermore, participation by individuals or group of individuals from the Maldives, does not constitute official representation by the Government of Maldives.
In accordance with the Article 115 (J) of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, only the serving President may determine, conduct and oversee the foreign policy of the country, and conduct political relations with foreign nations and international organizations. Official accreditation to meetings, forums and conferences to represent the Maldives, as per international practice, will only take place through diplomatic channels. Therefore, for this specific meeting, there was no official representation by the Government of Maldives.