Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed the official visits by Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid during his first year in office helped to bring in over USD 207 million in aid to Maldives. The ministry revealed the figure after a request was made under the Right to Information Act to reveal the expenditure and details of the state visits by the foreign minister during the first year of the administration.
The foreign ministry stated Minister Shahid had conducted 20 official visits to different countries between November 17, 2018 and November 17, 2019, which cost a total of USD 183,923. The ministry further revealed foreign aid worth over USD 207 million had been facilitated by the foreign minister’s trips. They said the trips helped to reinforce bilateral relations with several countries and reinstate Maldives into the international community.
Foreign Minister Shahid’s official visits included bilateral visits to meet foreign ministers of different countries and trips made to take part in high-level conferences of international organisations. The minister had also taken part in official visits made by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
While the ministry noted the state visits have been fruitful, they have also revealed that the USD 25 million aid sanctioned by Abu Dhabhi in 2019 had been increased to USD 50 million. Ministry of Finance is currently working on finalising the agreement for the aid, according to the foreign ministry.