Maldives US envoy says China, US and India are all important partners

The Maldives, which has raised US and Indian concerns by signing defense agreements with China, sees all the big powers in the Indo-Pacific as important partners and considers regional stability vital, its Washington ambassador said on Friday. Speaking after a Washington visit by Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer this week, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed told Reuters his country occupies a very strategic position and is aware of its responsibilities in maintaining a “free, peaceful and stable Indian Ocean.” Zameer’s Washington visit came two months after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s party won a landslide in parliamentary elections. Muizzu has pivoted ties towards…