President and First Lady arrives in China on State Visit

December 06,2017

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and First Lady Madam Fathimath Ibrahim have arrived in Beijing, this afternoon on a state visit to China. The visit is being made at the invitation of the President of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping.

During President Yameen’s State Visit, official talks will be held between the Government of Maldives and the Government of China – and key agreements will be signed with a view to enhance trade, professional and socioeconomic development as well as technological and other collaborations between the two countries. The President will also meet with key leaders of China, and discuss ways to further accelerate socioeconomic ties between the Maldives and China.

Source: President’s Office

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The President and First Lady to make a State Visit to China

December 04, 2017

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom and First Lady Madam Fathimath Ibrahim will undertake a state visit to the People’s Republic of China from the 6th to the 9th of this month, at the invitation of the President of China, His Excellency Xi Jinping.

High-level discussions with top government officials and stakeholders of China will take place during the visit, and a number of agreements on bilateral cooperation will be signed.

The Maldives and China have a long-standing history of close and friendly ties, and this year marks 45 strong years of diplomatic relations. The visit is expected to further solidify the existing win-win partnership for the common benefit of both countries and peoples.

This is the first state visit of President Yameen to China. The President previously undertook two official visits, in 2015 and in 2014.

Source: The President’s Office

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The President conveys National Day felicitations to UAE President, Prime Minister and Crown Prince

December 02, 2017

President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has conveyed, in separate messages, felicitations of the 46th National Day of the United Arab Emirates to the President of the United Arab Emirates and Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Royal Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai,His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates,His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In his message to His Royal Highness, the President of UAE, His Excellency, President Yameen expressed hope that the fraternal bond between the Maldives and UAE will continue to go even stronger in the years ahead for the mutual benefit of both countries and their brotherly peoples, and noted with confidence that his recent visit to UAE has reinvigorated the Maldives-UAE relations founded on good will, understanding and reciprocity.

On a similar note, the President conveyed assurances to His Royal Highness, the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, of his trust that his recent visit has enlivened the spirit to further strengthen the existing partnership and emphasised that the Maldives remains firmly committed to maintain and cultivate the brotherly bond and development cooperation that happily exist between the Maldives and UAE.

The President noted that the Maldives-UAE ties have reached a new milestone in recent years, in his message to His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of UAE, and expressed hope and confidence that this promising trend will remain for many years to come.

The National Day of UAE commemorates the federal unification of the seven emirates to form the modern-day nation.

Source: President’s Office 

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The President decides to sign Free Trade Agreement with China

November 29, 2017

After much deliberation at a cabinet meeting held today, the President decided to sign a Free Trade Agreement with China. The meeting was presided over by Minister of Economic Development Mr. Mohamed Saeed and Minster of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohamed Asim.

During the meeting, Minister Saeed stated the China-Maldives Free Trade Agreement Negotiation was in the pipeline since 2014, when it was first initiated. He also mentioned that the ongoing talks to establish a free trade pact will enable exemption of duties on fishery products exported to the world’s largest consumer market.

Minister Saeed also stated that the Maldivian government has extended invitations to establish free trade agreements with countries including Japan, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and countries of the European Union.

He further expressed confidence that other countries would soon look to establish similar agreements with the Maldives.

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MALDIVES WINS SECOND PLACE IN THE FAVOURITE EMERGING OVERSEAS DESTINATION CATEGORY AT CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER READERS’ TRAVEL AWARDS 2017

27th November 2017, New Delhi:

Maldives has won second place in the Favourite Emerging Overseas Destination Category at the seventh edition of Condé Nast Traveller India Readers’ Travel Awards (RTA) took place at Andaz Delhi, Aerocity, New Delhi, on 27th November 2017 with select invitees comprising industry leaders, influencers, and marquee names from travel, tourism, and government bodies. The award was received by Ms. Shazra Abdul Sattar (Deputy Head of Mission and Minister, Embassy of the Republic of Maldives in India.

Like every year, the Readers Travel Awards, was chosen through a readers’ voting process spanning two months sans any nominations, recognised the best in the travel industry across hotels, destinations, airlines, spas, websites, apps, cruise lines and more.

The evening began with the Lifetime Achievement Award being conferred upon Padma Shri Laila Tyabji, chairperson and founding member of Dastkar, an NGO working with crafts & craftspeople across India. Tyabji was lauded for her work with artisans over the last 39 years to preserve and popularize Indian crafts globally.

Mallika Ahluwalia, CEO of the Partition Museum in Amritsar, was felicitated by FabIndia’s William Bissell, for her contribution to preserving India’s history. The Condé Nast Traveller and Forest Essentials Excellence Award went to designer Anavila Misra for championing the cause of the quintessential Indian sari and sustainable fabrics through her work. Eminent danseuse and Padma Shri Shovana Narayan presented the award to Anavila.

Rohan Murty, founder of the Murty Classical Library of India, was recognised for his efforts to preserve ancient Indian languages. Renowned economist, civil servant, and Padma Vibhushan Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia with Padma Bhushan Dr. Isher Ahluwalia presented the award to Murty. Noted Indian designer, art curator, and Padma Bhushan Rajeev Sethi awarded actor and activist Rahul Bose with the Condé Nast Traveller and Volkswagen Passat Excellence Award, for his social activism and for using film to put the spotlight on the story of Poorna Malavath, the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest.

The Readers’ Travel Awards are chosen through a readers’ voting process spanning two months, without any nominations for the award categories. Considered indicative of what discerning travellers really want and enjoy, RTA recognized the best in the travel and hospitality industry across hotels, destinations, airlines, spas, websites, apps, cruise lines, and more.

This year’s RTA showcased some interesting results: Meghalaya and Gujarat are high up on the evolved Indian traveller’s wish list, while Goa remains the favourite for leisure. Internationally, they are most keen to visit Sri Lanka and the Maldives. On airlines, it seems even affluent travellers put a premium on punctuality—low-cost airline Indigo emerged the winner again. Etihad Airways bagged the title of Favourite International Airline for the second time in a row.

Boutique hotels like The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg and SUJAN Rajmahal in Jaipur were also honored, along with iconic properties such as the Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai and The Oberoi, Gurgaon. Brand new hotels like the Andaz Delhi, W Goa and Soneva Jani in the Maldives were recognised by the voters. In terms of food, Delhi emerged as the clear winner, with Bukhara and The China Kitchen at the top of the list.

The glittering ceremony saw several eminent personalities like Rashmi Verma (Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India), His Excellency Mr Alexandre Ziegler (Ambassador of France to India), Ms. Shazra Abdul Sattar (Deputy Head of Mission and Minister, The Embassy of the Republic of Maldives to India), Aditya Ghosh of Indigo, Deep Kalra of Make My Trip, Nikhil Ganju of TripAdvisor, Karan Anand of Cox & Kings, Neerja Bhatia of Etihad Airways, Chinmai Sharma of Taj Hotels, Palaces, Resorts, Safaris, Rishi Kapoor of Bellagio, Las Vegas, amongst many other dignitaries.

The annual Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Travel Awards has set the benchmarks in the hospitality and travel industry year on year, since its inception in 1989 in the United States of America.

Forest Essentials & Volkswagen were the associate partners for the event. The Readers’ Travel Award 2017 winners will be featured in the December 2017 – January 2018 issue of Condé Nast Traveller India.

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