The Maldives has hosted a reception to mark the re-opening of the Embassy of the Maldives in the United States (US). Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid officially opened the embassy in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 15, marking a return to a full-time diplomatic presence after 14 years.
The reception to mark the re-opening was attended by Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Maldives Ahmed Muthasim Adnan, Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu, and other senior US government officials. The ceremony was also attended by the resident Maldivian community and the wider diplomatic community in Washington, D.C.
The embassy will serve as a vital bridge between the two countries in cultivating economic growth, cultural and people-to-people ties that will mutually benefit both nations. The establishment of the embassy signals a new era of reinvigorated and strengthened diplomatic ties between the Maldives and the US and will bring forth greater cooperation and collaboration between the two countries in the global arena.
Previously, diplomatic relations between the Maldives and the US were managed through the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, while the Maldives was represented in the US through its mission at the United Nations. However, the decision to establish embassies in both the Maldives and the US was announced during the visit of then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to the Maldives in 2020. The new US embassy will be situated in the recently constructed Umar Zahir Office Building in Hulhumale'.