President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated international support is crucial to the efforts of the Maldives to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The president made the statement during a telephone conversation with the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of the Republic of Ireland, Leo Varadkar. via telephone.
During the telephone conversation, President Solih explained the situation of COVID-19 in the Maldives to the Irish Prime Minister. The president outlined the temporary restrictive measures the Maldives has taken in response to the pandemic, including imposing a lockdown in the Greater Male’ Region, noting they have proven effective in containing the spread of the virus. He noted as more people recover and the number of new daily cases abate, the Maldives is beginning to gradually ease restrictive measures.
Speaking further, the president elaborated on the priorities of the government during this stage of easing restrictions, noting this encompasses restarting economic activity, re-opening borders, reviving the tourism industry, and building a resilient Maldives without compromising the continued success of the country against COVID-19. He emphasised international support is crucial during the recovery stage and highlighted the challenges to vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS), in particular, noting debt-forgiveness would be an impactful measure to alleviate their burdens.
President Solih and Prime Minister Varadkar also discussed bilateral ties between the Maldives and the Republic of Ireland. Both leaders discussed further strengthening the existing ties through international cooperation on a range of mutually important issues including: climate change, counter-terrorism and trade. The call ended with both leaders expressing confidence that strong bilateral ties and fruitful international cooperation will continue in the long-term, and wishing each other success in the continued fight against COVID-19.
The Maldives established formal diplomatic ties with the Republic of Ireland approximately 21 years ago.