Malaysia to work out solution to Maldives airport row
Saturday December 01, 2012 08:51:05 AM,
IANS
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Male: Malaysia has
pledged to work out a solution to the issues surrounding the
Maldives government's decision to annul the airport contract given
to a consortium led by India's GMR Group and Malaysia Airports
Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman Friday met his Maldives
counterpart Abdul Samad Abdulla on the issue and said later the
sit-down was "fruitful", according to Haveeru online daily.
Following the Maldives government's decision Tuesday to scrap the
contract for the Ibrahim Nasir International Airport (INIA), the
Malaysian foreign minister along with MAHB managing director Basir
Ahmed arrived in the Maldives Friday afternoon.
The Malaysian foreign minister expressed confidence that a
solution can be sought out through discussions with the Maldives
government.
"As we are two friendly nations, there is no reason why this
matter cannot be resolved," Anifah told reporters prior to
departing from Maldives Friday evening.
In the consortium, GMR holds 77 percent stake and Malaysian
Airports the remaining 23 percent.
Haveeru said it has been unable to obtain a comment from the
Maldives government on the Malaysian minister's visit.
MAHB currently manages three airports abroad - the Delhi
International Airport and Hyderabad International Airport in India
and the Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey. At home, it
operates 39 airports, including the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport.
Meanwhile, Malaysian media reported that despite the abrupt
termination of the agreement, MAHB is not too perturbed about the
development.
According to the Malay Mail, its chief financial officer Faizal
Mansor said: "We had only invested RM20 million in the operations
and profited about RM40 million from the project."
He said MAHB is still at good terms with the new Maldivian
government and noted the Maldives Airport Company Ltd will take
over possession and control of the airport and its facilities in a
week's time - together with the Maldivian ministry of finance and
treasury.
While MAHB hasn't been informed on the cause for the termination,
Faizal said it is likely due to political problems between India
and Maldives.
"We were never the problem. Maybe the new Maldivian government did
not want Bangalore-based GMR Group to be in the picture. If so, we
don't want to be caught in the middle," Malay Mail quoted him as
saying.
The Maldivian cabinet on Tuesday decided to terminate GMR's
contract for developing the airport and issued it a notice to hand
over the airport within seven days to state-owned Maldives
Airports Company Ltd.
It had also asked GMR to vacate and remove all property from the
airport within 30 days.
Termination of GMR's contract had evoked sharp reactions from
India which said that it sends a "very negative signal" to foreign
investors.
"The decision to terminate the contract with GMR without due
consultation with the company or efforts at arbitration provided
for under the agreement sends a very negative signal to foreign
investors and the international community," a spokesperson of
India's ministry of external affairs had said.
Maldives government has defended its move by insisting that the
decision was made purely on legal grounds as the contract was
invalid from the beginning.
The agreement awarding the airport to GMR group for 25 years was
signed on June 28, 2010 by then president Mohamed Nasheed's
government.
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