News & press releases

Minister of Foreign Affairs attended a lunch meeting hosted by US Department of State’s Acting Assistant Secretary Tom Vajda

20 February 2019

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid met with the Acting Assistant Secretary Tom Vajda and senior officials of the US Department of State today.

At the lunch meeting held at the US Department of State, Minister Shahid and Acting Secretary Vajda along with the senior Department of State officials, discussed in detail about the US-Indo Pacific Strategy and the how the Maldives could benefit from the strategy by partnering with the US. This includes increased private sector investment, infrastructure development, cooperation in the energy sector as well as cooperation in the digital/ Information Technology.

Minister Shahid commended the American leadership in maintaining order, especially in the Indo-Pacific region. The Minister also noted that the aim of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s foreign policy is to make the Maldives a resilient nation that is able to work with its partners to achieve regional and global peace and stability. The Minister also expressed the readiness of the Government of the Maldives to partner with the United States to preserve the free and open international system.Minister Shahid was accompanied by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Khaleel, Ambassador of Maldives to the United States of America, Ali Naseer Mohamed, and Ms. Shiuneen Rasheed, Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

ENDS