US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has paid a courtesy call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
The call occurred within the context of the first visit by an incumbent US Secretary of State to the Maldives, since Secretary James Addison Baker’s official trip to the country in 1992. During the meeting, the President and the Secretary spoke with regard to a wide range of issues such as strengthening bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation, trade and investment facilitation, environmental conservation, cybersecurity, combatting terrorism and upholding the principle of a stable, open and peaceful Indian Ocean region. President Solih and Secretary Pompeo also spoke with regard to plans to open a resident US embassy in the Maldives.
In recent years, the US has become an increasingly important development partner to the Maldives. The growing relations between the two countries were reflected in the assistance provided by the US for the COVID-19 relief efforts in the Maldives, through donation of medical equipment and supplies. In addition, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has repurposed approximately USD 2 million of their funding to help the country recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19. USAID funding has also been instrumental in strengthening the Maldives’ environmental conservation efforts.
Meanwhile, through the Development Objective Grant Assistance (DOAG) signed between the Maldives and the US on March 12, 2019, the US has agreed to provide the Maldives with development funding worth up to USD 35 million.
While welcoming Secretary Pompeo to the Maldives, President Solih thanked him for the US Government’s generous assistance towards the Maldives and its increasingly active and positive engagement with the Maldives on many important bilateral spheres. Ending the call, the President and Secretary affirmed their mutual commitment to work towards strengthening Maldives-US ties.