The Ambassador of China Presents his Credentials to the President

The Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, His Excellency Zhang Lizhong, presented his Letter of Credence to President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, this morning, at the President’s Office.

At the ceremony, the President welcomed the Ambassador to the Maldives and congratulated him on the commencement of his term as the Ambassador of China to the Maldives.

During the call, the President extended greetings from the Government and the people of the Maldives, to President H.E. Xi Jinping, the Government and the people of China and assured full commitment to bolster existing bilateral relations. He conveyed thanks and appreciation for China’s continued assistance and support towards the socio-economic development of the Maldives and expressed hopes for further strengthening the development partnership. In this regard, the President highlighted on two mega projects, China-Maldives Friendship Bridge Project and Upgrading and Expansion of Velana International Airport Project. He firmly reiterated the Government’s commitment to the One-China Policy, the policy that endorses China as the legitimate and rightful representative of the aspirations of all Chinese people. The President also expressed appreciation for China’s cooperation with the Maldives in advancing mutual interests on various international fora, for the common benefit of the two countries and their peoples.

The Ambassador conveyed greetings and good wishes of the President and the Government of China and noted that he was deeply impressed with the development trajectory of the Maldives, particularly with the openness to foreign direct investment involving mega development projects. He conveyed assurances to collaborate closely with the Government of Maldives to enhance the cooperation between China and the Maldives through increasing trade and investment as well as increasing the number of Chinese tourists to the Maldives.

The President was accompanied at the call by the Minister of State for Foreign Relations at the President’s Office, H.E. Mohamed Naseer and the Foreign Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Ahmed Sareer.

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Maldives and Turkey sign two Memoranda of Understanding

During a ceremony held at Ankara this morning, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Asim, Minister of Foreign Affairs and His Excellency Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey has signed two Memoranda of Understanding between the Government of Maldives and the Government of Turkey.

The MoUs that were signed were “Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey” and the “Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey on the cooperation in the field of archives”

At the Joint Press Conference held after the signing ceremony, Minister Asim stated that these two MoUs aim to strengthen the close bilateral ties that exist between Turkey and Maldives.

The MoU on Cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, will further enhance cooperation and coordination on bilateral and multilateral issues, and will establish a well-structured communications mechanism between the Foreign Ministries of both countries. The MoU on cooperation in the field of archives aims to contribute towards institutional building and sharing expertise on this front.

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Foreign Minister sends Independence Day greetings to India

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Asim has sent a message to Her Excellency Sushma Swaraj, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, following the 70th  Anniversary of India’s Independence.

Minister’s message reads as follows:

“As India celebrates the auspicious occasion of the 70th   Anniversary of its Independence, it is with great pleasure that I extend heartfelt congratulations and sincere good wishes to Your Excellency, the Government and the people of India.

The Maldives and India shares a unique strong bond of friendship since time immemorial. Our strong bilateral ties, based on mutual respect and goodwill is matched by the dynamic people-to-people contacts. As development partners and close neighbors, I remain confident that our relations will continue to strengthen over the years. Let me also take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to work closely for regional cooperation and for a more peaceful and prosperous South Asia.

May I also convey my personal best wishes for your health and well-being, and for the continued progress and prosperity for the people of India.

Please except, Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”

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President Conveys Independence Day Felicitations to the President and Prime Minister of India

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has conveyed felicitations, in separate messages, to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of the 70th Independence Day of the Republic of India.

The President’s message to President Ram Nath Kovind reads as follows:

“On behalf of the people and the Government of the Maldives, and on my own behalf, I wish to express my warmest felicitations to Your Excellency and the friendly people of India on the joyful occasion of the Independence Day of India. Our countries share deep bonds of friendship and cooperation, and I look forward to a stronger partnership in the years to come, founded on the common aspiration for greater peace and prosperity for our peoples.”

“May I also extend, Excellency, my best wishes for your good health and well-being, and for further progress and prosperity of the people of India.”

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Ministry conducts Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Action Plan 2017

10 August 2017, Male’

The Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Action Plan 2017 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was held to identify the progress made in the first seven months of the year, and to identify the pending actions, the gaps and challenges in conducting the activities.

The Mid-Term Review was conducted over a period of two weeks with consultations within Departments and the Maldives Missions overseas. The validation workshop of senior officials, chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Mohamed Asim, was held today to discuss and deliberate on the findings.

The Mid-Term Review of the Strategic Action Plan 2017, was coordinated jointly by the Corporate Affairs Department and the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives (FOSIM).

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