Maldives appoints Ibrahim Shaheeb, H. Jeheyvai as the new Ambassador to India

New Delhi: Maldivian Parliament, appointed Ambassador Ibrahim Shaheeb, H. Jeheyvai as the Ambassador of Maldives to India. He will be joining New Delhi.

He was last posted as Ambassador in Singapore. This will be his second tenure in India. Earlier he was Deputy High Commission of the Maldives in India (2007-2008).

Shaheeb's appointment is important for India as next year's national elections in the Maldives are taking place. India has become a core election issue in the political spectrum of Maldives. The country has also attained international attention aside from being a tourist hotspot as part of the growing rivalry between India and China.

Shaheeb was also the Chief of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As Chief of Protocol, Shaheeb was responsible for the Diplomatic Corps and the Honorary Consular Corps to the Maldives, coordinating all outgoing international visits of the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and all incoming State and Official Visits of foreign dignitaries including Indian ministers.

Shaheeb is a career diplomat. He started his career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a junior officer in 1991. His first posting was as Third Secretary at the High Commission of Maldives in Sri Lanka (1994-1998). Since then, he has also been posted to the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations (2002-2003), and the High Commission of the Maldives in India (2007-2008), where he also served as Deputy Head of Mission.

His most recent overseas posting was at the High Commission of Maldives in Singapore.