The Government of the Maldives has welcomed the European Union (EU's) Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for the Maldives at the third Senior Officials Meeting on October 25.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the meeting reaffirmed the positive and growing momentum in the relations between the two sides over the past years. During the meeting, the Maldives and EU re-confirmed their strong mutual interest in further strengthening their bilateral relations, rooted in shared values and commitments, the principles of the United Nations (UN) Charter, and international law. The EU commended the positive contributions made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid in his capacity as the president of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and congratulated him for the successful completion of his term. The EU also welcomed the commitment of the Government of the Maldives towards consolidation of democratic governance, strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption, promoting and protecting human rights, and implementing reforms in the judicial sector.
Furthermore, the Maldives and EU reiterated their intention to expand the existing partnership and work closely in the UN and all relevant multilateral fora, including addressing global challenges such as peace and security, climate change and biodiversity, and water and plastic pollution. The EU congratulated the Maldives on being elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the term 2023-2025 and expressed hope for strong cooperation in the promotion and protection of human rights in the multilateral framework. The Maldives and EU underlined the importance attached to the freedom of expression and opinion as essential foundations for democracy and the rule of law, highlighting their continued strong support of civil society.
Additionally, the Maldives welcomed the EU’s Multi-Annual Indicative Programme (MIP) for the Maldives 2021-2027, the first dedicated envelope to the Maldives since 2013. Both the Maldives and EU agreed to deepen cooperation in the green transition, climate change mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity protection and circular economy, and continued support for good governance, rule of law, and security under the USD12 million allocated for the period 2021-2024 under the MP. Through the MIP, the Maldives would receive support from the EU in key areas of the Strategic Action Plan 2019-2023 and the National Resilience and Recovery Plan.
The Government of the Maldives reiterated its request to the EU to consider granting duty-free access for sustainably sourced tuna products from the Maldives. Recalling the importance of enhancing people-to-people ties between the two sides, the Maldives also reiterated its request for visa-free travel for Maldivian nationals to travel to EU member states.
The Third Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and EU was held in a hybrid format with the discussions co-chaired by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel and Deputy Managing Director for Asia and Pacific at the European External Action Service Paola Pampaloni.