German Consulate Office in the Maldives Temporarily Closes
No official reasons for the temporary closure were stated. | Photo: Envato
The German Consulate office in the Maldives has temporarily suspended operations at its Honorary Consulate in the Maldives. No official reasons for the temporary closure were stated.
According to an official notice published by the German Embassy in Colombo, which oversees regional affairs, the office in Malé has closed until further notice. Embassy officials advised that no local representative currently operates in the country, instructing German citizens to direct all emergency enquiries to the diplomatic mission in Sri Lanka instead, and to take this into consideration when planning a trip to the Maldives.
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The temporary closure prompted swift criticism from former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed, who alleged that political interference by the Maldivian administration caused the consular shutdown.
Writing on social media platform X, Nasheed claimed the interruption stemmed from disagreements over diplomatic appointments between Malé and Berlin.
“The closing of the German Honorary Consulate in the Maldives is very concerning,” Nasheed stated. “This is again due to the government’s misguided approach. The government wanted to replace the Honorary Consul to the Maldives with a person of its own liking, and Germany had reservations about this.”
The German Consulate Office has not announced a timetable for reopening the consulate or naming a replacement for the post.
