Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has said his visit to the United Kingdom (UK) has fortified existing ties between the two countries.
In a tweet upon the conclusion of his visit, Minister Shahid said it was a pleasure to have engaged with the new leadership of the UK and review the existing bilateral portfolio between the two countries. The purpose of the visit was to engage with the new leadership of the UK to reaffirm the commitment of the Maldives to foster the existing close relationship and discuss and explore additional areas for cooperation. He also addressed the youth at the Oxford Union Society on the future of multilateralism.
During the visit, Minister Shahid met with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the UK James Cleverly. The ministers reviewed the existing bilateral portfolio between the two countries and explored avenues to further enhance cooperation especially on obtaining duty-free access to the UK, for fish and fish products from the Maldives.
Furthermore, Minister Shahid met senior officials of the UK government including the Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia and the United Nations at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for Asia, Energy, Climate and Environment Lord Goldsmith and Minister for Development at the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office Andrew Mitchell, Deputy Chairman of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Sir Hugo Swire, co-chairs of the Maldives All Party Parliamentary Group (APPS) Lord Bilimoria and Yasmin Qureshi and several other members of the British Parliament.
The Maldives and the UK have a long history of close relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries on July 26, 1965. The UK is an invaluable development partner of the Maldives, and the two countries cooperate in numerous areas including counter-terrorism and violent extremism, tourism, trade, higher education, and climate change and environment.