Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will raise with Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to the United Kingdom, the role of India in brokering talks between the government and opposition parties in the Maldives.

We continue to have serious concerns about the situation in the Maldives. My Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon ( Mr Swire) raised publically and privately with Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised the issue with Prime Minister Modi during his visit. In a joint press statement released by the UK and India on 12 November the two Prime Ministers emphasised the importance of a stable and inclusive democracy in the Maldives, including an independent judiciary.