Maldives and Australia have discussed ways to further strengthen the existing ties, particularly by exploring new areas for cooperation in the years ahead. The discussions took place during a meeting between First Assistant Secretary of Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia Dr. Lachlan Strahan Foreign Secretary of Maldives Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed.
During the meeting held at the Ministry of foreign Affairs, Foreign Secretary Ghafoor thanked Dr. Strahan for taking the time to visit Maldives to commemorate 45 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Maldives and Australia. The foreign secretary further expressed appreciation for the continuous support extended by the Australian government for human resource development in the Maldives and discussed further areas of development cooperation.
The foreign secretary and the first assistant secretary also exchanged views on expanding cooperation on addressing mutual concerns through Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).