Parliament of Maldives has decided to join the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
The resolution to join CPA was submitted to the parliament today by Parliamentarian Ali Azim. In the resolution, MP Azim stated joining CPA would provide great benefits to the Parliament of Maldives, including development and training opportunities for members of the parliament. The motion was approved with votes from all 67 members present at the sitting today.
Parliament of Maldives was a member of CPA until the government decided to withdraw from Commonwealth altogether in October 2016, during the presidency of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom. The bid to rejoin Commonwealth was submitted by the government in December 2018, after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih assumed office. Maldives was officially re-admitted to Commonwealth on February 1, 2020.
During the parliament sitting today, several members congratulated the government for its success efforts in re-admitting Maldives to Commonwealth. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eva Abdulla said the decision of the previous administration to leave Commonwealth cost Maldives a lot of opportunities in the international arena, such as advocating for human rights, women’s rights, youth development as well as the fight against climate change. She said the decision of the administration to rejoin Commonwealth was an important decision for the future of the country.
Meanwhile, Parliamentarian Meekail Ahmed Naseem said withdrawing from Commonwealth was one of the many decisions that indicated the failure of the foreign policy set by the previous administration. He expressed hope the current administration would restore the diplomatic relations which were cut off during the previous administration, such as relations with Iran and Qatar.