President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has been presented with the credentials of new ambassadors and high commissioner of three countries.

As such, the new Non-Resident High Commissioner of Mauritius, Santi Bai Hanoomanjee, new Ambassador of Hungary András László Király and new Ambassador of the Argentine Republic Dr Hugo Javier Gobbi presented their letters of credence to President Solih on Monday morning, during separate ceremonies held at the President’s Office.

The president welcomed the ambassadors and high commissioner and congratulated them on the commencement of their terms.

The president expressed confidence that the existing bilateral ties between Maldives and Mauritius would further enhance, during the meeting with the new Non-Resident High Commissioner of Mauritius.

High Commissioner Hanoomanjee extended the greetings of the Prime Minister and the President of Mauritius to the government and the people of Maldives, going on to add that serving as the non-resident High Commissioner to Maldives would be her pleasure. She went on to express assurance that she will cultivate the relations between both countries, further, during her tenure.

Highlighting on the effective measures taken by their respective governments in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the vaccination drives against coronavirus, the pair engaged in discussions on the common vulnerabilities and challenges that pose the people of both countries, as Small Island Developing States.

Discussions also revolved around a variety of topics including the expansion of opportunities for trade and commerce, increasing the current levels of exports and imports, enhancing cooperation in the fields of tourism, furthering sustainable development, climate change as well as other multilateral cooperation.

Noting that Maldives and Hungary have made positive strides in refining the bilateral ties over the years, president Solih expressed gratitude for the Hungarian government for their support extended towards Maldives’ candidature during the presidential election of the 76th United Nations General Assembly held in June.

Further, the president noted that Maldives and Hungary have the opportunity to explore new avenues for collaboration in higher education, with which the Hungarian Ambassador assured his commitment to expand cooperation in the field of higher education. As such, he noted that the Hungarian government is working to provide fully-funded scholarship opportunities to Maldivian students.

He went on to express keen interest to aid in food security, water management, as well as the progression of the tourism industry.

The ambassador noted that Hungary is keen to explore mutually beneficial investment opportunities in Maldives.

Shedding light on the recently-concluded meeting between senior officials of the Maldives and European Union, the president expressed confidence that ties between the Maldives and the European Union will be enhanced in the coming years.

The pair also engaged in discussions regarding climate change, noting that it ranks high on their national agenda. They affirmed commitment to garner international support to address it, with the president expressing hope to work in close collaboration with the Hungarian government during COP26 and prior, and explore collective efforts to shift to renewable and alternate forms of energy in place of fossil fuels.

In addition, the meeting with the new Ambassador of Argentine Republic saw President Solih expressing gratitude for their support towards the country’s candidature in the UNGA presidential election.

Ambassador Gobbi noted that Argentina had always remained a close friend and supporter of the Maldives, adding that they were honored to help and content to see Maldives play a major role in the international arena in developing multilateral relations.

The pair held discussions regarding the climate emergency. The Argentinian Ambassador stated that the government would follow the example Maldives has set, in playing a more significant role in the climate crisis, especially ocean conservation.

President Solih noted that Maldives hopes to see further collaboration between the two countries, especially in the areas of tourism, sustainable development and upholding human rights and climate change.