Minister of Defence Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon has participated in bilateral discussions with defence and foreign office officials from several countries on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue 2024. The Shangri-La Dialogue, recognised as Asia’s premier defence summit and organised by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), was held from 31 May to 2 June.
The summit serves as a platform for ministers to deliberate on the region’s most pressing security challenges, engage in crucial bilateral talks, and collaborate on innovative approaches. Minister Maumoon seized the opportunity to hold bilateral talks with counterparts from Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and Germany, focusing on strengthening defence cooperation and security sector engagements.
During his meeting with Malaysian counterpart Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin, avenues for enhancing defence cooperation between both nations were explored, as confirmed by the Maldives’ defence ministry. Additionally, Minister Maumoon engaged in discussions with Senior Minister of State for Defence of Singapore, Zaqy Mohamad, emphasising the enhancement of security sector engagements and defence cooperation between the Maldives and Singapore.
Minister Maumoon also met with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia, Richard Marles MP, to deliberate on elevating defence cooperation between the Maldives and Australia. The discussions aimed to explore further avenues for collaboration, according to the Maldives’ defence ministry.
In a meeting with the Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, Tobias Lindner, Minister Maumoon focused on strengthening the close bilateral defence cooperation between the Maldives and Germany, the Maldives’ defence ministry said.
