Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has departed on an official visit to the US and to the UK.
Foreign Minister Shahid is due to meet senior officials of the US Government in Washington DC, including from the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury. During the meetings, Minister Shahid will explore further means to enhance bilateral cooperation between the governments of the US and the Maldives, including ongoing programmes to assist the Maldives in its democratic consolidation.
Minister Shahid will then travel to New York to deliver a statement on behalf of the Maldives at the United Nations Security Council Open-Debate on the topic of Addressing the impacts of climate-related disasters on international peace and security. Minister Shahid will also meet with the Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres and other senior officials of the United Nations.
Following his visit to the US, Minister Shahid will travel to the UK to attend a meeting of the Governing Council of the Community of Democracies. Minister Shahid will also meet with the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, and senior officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK during his visit to London.
Minister Shahid will also travel to the UAE during and hold bilateral talks with senior officials of the UAE government as a follow-up to the recent visit to the country by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Minister Shahid is part of high-level delegation that also includes Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of National Planning and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam and Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail.