Britain thanks Maldives for its recognition of Kosovo

At a meeting held at 10 Downing Street today, Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt. Hon. Lord Mark Malloch-Brown recalled the discussion of the matter held during the visit to London of Foreign Minister Dr. Ahmed Shaheed in December 2008, and thanked President Mohamed Nasheed for the support extended by the Maldives to the UK's initiative on the matter.

On 23rd December, Foreign Secretary David Miliband wrote to the Maldives Foreign Minister seeking the support of the Maldives for the independence of Kosovo as did Prime Minister Gordon Brown in his letter of 6 January to President Nasheed.

Following the announcement of the Maldives's decision to recognise the independence of Kosovo, Foreign Secretary David Miliband had written to Foreign Minister Shaheed expressing his delight over the partnership that had emerged between the UK and the Maldives over the status of Kosovo. A similar letter was received from US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Commenting on the remarks by the UK government, Dr Shaheed said: "I am happy to have worked with the UK and the USA, and with our friends elsewhere, on the issue of Kosovo in a principled, transparent and careful manner. In all our recent high-level contacts with our counterparts in the UK and the US, the Government has been reminded about the importance of a stable and independent Kosovo, a predominantly Muslim country, for the wider Balkans.

"Our partnership with several of our allies on the question of Kosovo will continue, as will our principled efforts to use diplomacy as a tool to promote peace, human rights and the rule of law," said Dr Shaheed. "Our Muslim brothers and sisters in Kosovo would expect nothing less from us, as, I believe, do the people of the Maldives who themselves have struggled over recent years to have a fair and just stake in their own future"