Maldives is in talks with Indian infrastructure company, GMR, whose over $500-million Male airport project was scrapped, for an out-of-court settlement and not through arbitration, Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen said here on Thursday.
However, he appeared to rule out Indian infrastructure giant's comeback in the Male airport project, saying it was highly "politicised case" in Maldives.
Yameen was talking at a business meet here after meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had asked him to address the problems faced by some Indian investors and "amicably" settle the issue of Male International Airport. Singh, after his comprehensive talks with Yameen on key issues including defence, security and economic cooperation, announced that a standby credit facility of $25 million was being extended to Maldives for imports from India.
"There is nothing that cannot be sorted out through dialogue. So we are very keen to have a dialogue with GMR. As we speak, GMR is speaking with our officials to have a settlement out of court and not through arbitration. So hopefully, we will have mutually amicable solution," Yameen said.
The project worth over $500 million was scrapped unilaterally 14 months back by the Maldivian government which was then headed by Mohamed Waheed after lot of political domestic pressure to do so.
"We are hoping that before we are through with arbitration, we will be able to mutually resolve this matter," Yameen said.
However, when asked if the Indian infrastructure giant would again be given opportunity to get into the airport renovation project, he evaded a direct answer but appeared to rule out any possibility for GMR in near future, saying currently the airport infrastructure and construction would be done by the Maldivian authorities.
