In Maldives Foreign Minister’s Election as UNGA President, There is a Win for India’s Soft Power

The election of Maldives’ Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, as the 76th President of the United Nations General Assembly could not have come at a better time for the island nation. Last year, then UNGA President, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, had hailed Shahid’s speech as Foreign Minister, when Maldives backed the UN initiatives on ‘sustainable development goals’ aimed towards building ‘resilient communities’. Extending his ‘warm congratulations’ to his Foreign Minister, he said, “This is a great honour for Maldives, and I have no doubt Minister Shahid will do us all proud as UNGA President.” In his tweet from Germany, where he is convalescing after multiple surgeries back home for a blast-wound sustained on 6 May in capital Malé, Maldivian Parliament Speaker Mohammed ‘Anni’ Nasheed congratulated Shahid, and underscored the relevance of Maldives’ size and climate challenges, which he had highlighted through an under-water Cabinet meeting, as President between 2008 and 2012. It’s a great day for us, for small island states, and for climate vulnerable countries everywhere,” said Nasheed, who also heads the ruling MDP, of which both President Solih and Minister Shahid are members.