Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid on Thursday met with the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as the Maldives and the U.S. look to “revitalise friendship and cooperation.”
The meeting took place at a time the two counties have decided to establish resident embassies in their respective capitals, with the Maldives Embassy in Washington, D.C. set to open on Friday.
With a strong focus on enhancing peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region, Minister Shahid and Secretary Blinken discussed a range of issues, including the importance of upholding a rules-based international order and expressed their commitment to regional stability, maritime security, and promoting peace, according to a press statement released by the Foreign Ministry following the meeting.
“During the meeting, Minister Shahid requested increased higher education opportunities for Maldivians to study at American universities, highlighting the importance of academic exchanges, scholarships, and collaboration across various fields of study,” said the Foreign Ministry. Secretary Blinken stated that the United States looks forward to enhancing people-to-people engagement in higher education with Maldives, according to the U.S. State Department.
Minister Shahid also emphasised the importance of waiving of visas for Maldivians travelling to the United States, aiming to promote people-to-people contact. Secretary Blinken assured that the United States would explore possibilities to streamline visa procedures for Maldivian nationals, paving way for greater cultural exchange, tourism, business ties between the two countries.
At the meeting, Secretary Blinken praised the Maldives leadership in the Summit for Democracy, and reiterated the “commitment to economic growth, adapting to a changing climate, defence cooperation, free and fair elections, and open and free media in Maldives,” as per the U.S. State Department. “The Secretary reiterated our joint commitment to economic growth, adapting to a changing climate, defence cooperation, free and fair elections, and open and free media in Maldives.” The Maldives government’s leadership in climate diplomacy was acknowledged as an important contribution towards global efforts to combat climate change and promote environmental sustainability, per the Foreign Ministry statement.
