Nasheed part of Lankan delegation for COP27?

by Staff Writer 08-11-2022 | 7:25 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Maldives Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed attending the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change or COP 27 as a member of the Sri Lanka delegation sparked a regional controversy.

Sri Lanka's opposition lawmakers questioned the basis of the Former Maldives President accompanying the Sri Lankan delegation, and who is bearing the cost for his travels.

Former Attorney General Dr. Mohamed Munavvar has criticized former President and Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed for attending the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) as a member of the Sri Lankan national delegation.

Nasheed is also a climate advisor to the country’s President, Ranil Wickremesinghe.

In a tweet Dr Munavvar posted, he questioned Speaker Nasheed’s loyalty to Maldives while he is a statesman paid by the taxpayers money.

The former AG’s remarks against Speaker Nasheed comes while some local media reports have stated that the Speaker was not invited to take part in the Maldivian delegation to COP27 after which the former President and Speaker of Parliament decided to attend the COP27 with the Sri Lankan delegation. The Maldivian delegation is led by Vice President Faisal Naseem.

Parliament of Maldives had also released an announcement stating that President Nasheed left for Sham el-Sheikh, Egypt on Friday morning to attend the 27th “Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” (COP 27) and that it is an official visit and he is attending the summit as a member of the Sri Lankan national delegation.

Speaker Nasheed has been a highly vocal climate advocate over the past years. He has also represented Maldives at all COP meetings held in the past 15 years and has participated in the discussions. President Nasheed is one of the most frequent attendee of the COP meetings to bring the world’s attention to Maldives vulnerability and the threat posed by climate change.

Sources: Sri Lanka Parliament / Maldives Agencies