Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has stated the stability in Indian Ocean is fundamental for the safety and security of Maldives. The foreign minister made the statement in his address at the Raisina Dialogue 2020 in New Delhi, India.
In his address, Foreign Minister Shahid said Maldives recognises the important position the country occupies in the Indian Ocean, noting all major sea lines of communication go through Maldives. The foreign minister highlighted that over 90,000 vessels pass through the Indian Ocean every year, equalling almost 10 billion tons of cargo, including 36 million barrels of oil per day, which constitutes more than 65% of the global oil trade. He said this undoubtedly makes Maldives an important link in global trade in addressing global challenges such as the trafficking of narcotics and people in organized crime.
The foreign minister added continuous stability in the Indian Ocean is fundamental for the security of the Maldives. He also said a stronger, prosperous, democratic and a politically stable Maldives is also necessary for the security of the Indian ocean.
In his address, Foreign Minister Shahid highlighted the importance of nations working together to combat climate change, noting it is a security and human rights challenge rather than just an environmental or economic challenge. The minister said climate change is already affecting all nations of the world, adding the sooner the nations join together to address this challenge in a meaningful way, the sooner it can be mitigated. He added such challenges require a convergence of opinion and close alignment of policy perspectives.
In addition to Foreign Minister Shahid, foreign ministers of 12 other countries delivered addresses in the Raisina Dialogue. In the sidelines of the dialogue, the foreign minister has conducted meetings with his counterparts from several countries.
Raisina Dialogue 2020 is taken part by over 700 representatives from more than 100 countries.