NEW DELHI, Aug 3: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he was looking forward to free and fair elections in the Maldives while stressing on the close bilateral relationship.
Singh made the remarks during his meeting with former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed who called on him.
Nasheed is on a three-day visit here, during which he also met External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.
“The Prime Minister said he looked forward to free and fair elections in Maldives. He stressed on the close relationship with the people of Maldives and emphasised that India would like to see a stable and prosperous Maldives,” official sources said.
Nasheed’s visit comes just about month ahead of the Presidential elections there. Nasheed was forced out of power last year in February and his Vice President Mohammed Waheed became the President.
India has been reaching out to all political parties to ensure the elections are free and fair.
However, the bilateral relations took a hit last year in November after the Maldives’ Government terminated a USD 500 million airport modernisation contract awarded to Indian infrastructure major GMR.
During his meeting, Nasheed said he was happy that he could contest the elections without his candidacy being challenged.
Nasheed had been confirmed as a candidate by the Election Commission of the Maldives. He was looking forward to the September elections and hoped for a smooth election process, sources said.
During his interaction with Khurshid on August 1, Nasheed also raised issues relating to visas for Maldivians visiting India and Indian export of aggregates to the Maldives which are essential for the construction industry in that Indian Ocean island country.
During the conversations with senior officials, the necessity to ensure understanding among political parties in the post-election phase so as to ensure stability in the Maldives was also an issue of discussion, sources said. (PTI)
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