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Importance of FOSIM for Maldivian Foreign Policy Issue 1, Vol 1 1 © 2017 Foreign Service Institute of Maldives, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Male’ 20-07, Republic of Maldives [email protected] Issue 1, Vol 1 Table of Contents Foreword 5 This Quarter in History 7 Editorial 8 Foreign Service Contributions to Economic Development 10 ‘Minex - Sosun, Minex - Sosun . .’ 14 Foreign Policy Making in the Early Years of Independent Maldives 17 The Honest Diplomat 22 Mission in Focus 26 Small States Diplomacy 29 Small Island Developing States at the international negotiating table 33 Life of a Diplomat is Not Easy! 38 Importance of FOSIM for Maldivian Foreign Policy 42 Institutionalising the Human Rights Based Approach to Governance in the Maldives 45 Maldives – Sri Lanka Joint Commission 49 3 Issue 1, Vol 1 Foreword Mohamed Asim Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives t gives me a great pleasure to introduce the first edition of the FOSIM Quarterly. This magazine is intended Ito serve as a platform to stimulate discussions and debate on key issues and developments in the foreign policy and diplomacy of the Maldives. It will be a reliable source of information about key aspects of the Maldives foreign policy, providing detailed accounts of events and initiatives of the Maldives, in an effort to document them for the future. The Foreign Ministry has, on many instances in the past, attempted to publish magazines and newsletters. The first was a booklet in English language, Ladies & Gentlemen: the Maldive Islands! published by the Ministry of External Affairs in 1949. The booklet contained articles, authored mainly by Prime Minister Mohamed Amin Didi, about various aspects of social life in the Maldives and the country’s history. Later the Maldives Embassy in Colombo started issuing a newsletter in the same name, that covered current affairs in the Maldives at the time, and carried a short feature article in every edition on a specific aspect of the Maldives history. The purpose was to introduce the Maldives to the outside world, because there was a dearth of 5 FOSIM Quarterly information about the country even diplomacy will benefit immensely among the diplomats accredited from the analyses and discussions in to the Maldives in Colombo. The the FOSIM Quarterly. newsletter unfortunately did not This inaugural issue contains continue for too long. Various fascinating discourse on some of attempts have been made at various the most crucial aspects of Maldives times, including two new attempts foreign policy: how the young and in the past ten years, to address the inexperienced nation shaped its need to have a publication covering foreign policy during the early days developments in the implementation following independence; some of of the foreign policy. the key challenges that the country Keeping that chequered trend in faced and continues to face, and the mind, the FOSIM Quarterly is strategies that have been adopted launched with modest ambition. in overcoming such challenges; The magazine seeks to maintain an and the key aspects of current informed conversation to provide Government’s foreign policy and insights into, and detailed analyses its implementation. This issue also of, the processes involved in policy contains perspectives and opinions making on historically significant on various aspects of diplomacy, issues in the Maldives diplomacy on the history and progress made and foreign engagement. Such by the Foreign Ministry, which I analyses and reflections will be hope will provide insights into the presented in the magazine by workings of the Ministry and its diplomats who participated in diplomats. shaping or implementing those I wish to thank the fosim Team decision, or who have systematically for the initiative in launching this studied the decisions. The idea is to magazine, and the contributors document the environment and the and the editors, for producing an context in which such decisions were extremely high quality set of articles. made with details of the processes My hope is that FOSIM Quarterly that were involved in formulating will, in the months to come, produce and implementation of the even greater quality of papers that decisions. These perspectives, I am will contribute significantly in sure, would provide for invaluable enhancing our understandings about insight, and a unique look at the some of the key events and turning international engagement of the points in the Maldives foreign Maldives. I am sure the observers policy. § and students of that Maldives 6 Issue 1, Vol 1 This Quarter in History 29 March 1976 Gan handover ceremony 29 March 1976: Flanked by the British Ambassador to the Maldives, Vice President of Maldives Hon. Ali Maniku receives the handover of Gan from Group Captain W. Edwards of the Royal Air Force. Last batch of British troops staged at British Military Airfield Staging Post at Gan in Maldives left on 29 March 1976. The day the last British troops left, was celebrated as independence day until 1979. 7 FOSIM Quarterly Editorial ragmatism and adaptability to change are the key concepts that characterise the Maldives foreign policy Pand diplomacy during the last five decades. The country emerged as an independent nation-state at a time when world politics was dominated by a seemingly intractable rivalry between two superpowers and the alliances they formed. The Maldives—young and inexperienced in world politics—decided not to be part of any of the groups. Instead, it tried to maintain strong ties with the leading countries, and made shifts in its foreign policy orientation, as and when demanded by the realities of regional and global politics. The willingness to adapt to changes, and at the same time, remaining true to the core principles, continues to remain a dominant feature of the country’s contemporary foreign policy. The complexities of the issues that the Maldives is required to tackle require agility and flexibility of action. Climate change, sustainable development, and a plethora of non-traditional security issues are fundamentally altering the policy landscape in countries, large and small, including the Maldives. The fact that the Maldives not only has increased its readiness in responding to these issues, but also has taken a lead role in shaping outcomes on issues, such as climate change and sustainable development, indicate the continuity of adaptability, not only in the orientation of the foreign policy, but also in the country’s diplomacy. The articles in this inaugural issue of FOSIM Quarterly give a brief snapshot of how pragmatism and adaptability have shaped decisions and developments in the Maldives foreign policy and its implementation. In this issue, President Yameen’s foreign policy is explored through the lens of building resilience, and partnerships, while a 8 Issue 1, Vol 1 focused look is cast on how foreign policy could advance the economic development in the country, through building resilience. Articles on the early years of foreign policy making, following the independence of Maldives, clearly demonstrate how the young nation faced decisions, through a pragmatic approach, going where the Maldives would gain most. Small states, especially small island developing states, such as the Maldives, prioritise interests, and at the same time, determine limits to engagements, too. Given the limited resources—both financially and human—the Maldives has always adopted a very defined set of priorities in its foreign relations. These common approaches adopted by sids are explored in this issue. Central to the conduct of foreign policy, are the diplomats that implement it. As in any other service, or any other profession, the diplomats of the Maldives foreign service have had to adapt to a changing environment and changing needs of the time. The institutional mechanism set in place to conduct foreign relations of the Maldives dates back to pre-independence days; the Ministry was established in 1932 as Vuzarathul Kharijiya. Over the years, the Foreign Ministry has developed to accommodate the evolving advances in the world. Contributions in this issue that reflect on the early years of the Ministry, and the operational aspects of running and managing the Ministry, depict this reality well. The pragmatic approach that the Maldives has adopted in the last five decades has served the country well. FOSIM Quarterly will continue to document, in the coming issues, how the country navigated through the challenges. § 9 FOSIM Quarterly Foreign Service Contributions to Economic Development Ahmed Mohamed he foreign policy of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, announced in January 2014, quite explicitly identifiesT the need to focus on economic diplomacy. Goal three of the foreign policy statement is focused on increasing the economic resilience of the Maldives. It states that ‘increasing the country’s economic resilience is an existential necessity of the Maldives. The business of the country’s diplomacy would, therefore, be business; business that would create jobs for Maldivians in the Maldives and help to increase wealth and prosperity of the nation’. Ahmed Mohamed is the Ambassador of Maldives to India. Prior to which, he has served as Minister of Economic Development, and Commissioner General of Customs. Ambassador Ahmed is an experienced professional with a demonstrated history of over 26 years of public service. He is skilled in Development Planning, Team Building, Management, and Leadership. He holds a M.Sc. in Public Policy Economics from The University of Hull. 10 Issue 1, Vol 1 Maldivians are indeed proud of the taxation of income derived from fact that the country has graduated international air transport; exchange from the group of least developed of information with respect to taxes; countries (ldcs). As an ldc, the and cooperation in the field of Maldives received a substantial tourism. In addition, the Maldives amount of external assistance for has also started negotiations on the implementation of development Free Trade Agreement (fta) with projects, which helped to stimulate China, and a separate fta with economic growth.
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