Maldives Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed is confident that the close ties and friendship between Maldives and Japan will continue to prosper during the tenure of the new Ambassador of Japan to Maldives, Takeuchi Midori.

Following the ceremony to present her Letters of Credence to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Ambassador Midori paid a courtesy call on Foreign Secretary Ghafoor on Thursday.

Foreign Secretary Ghafoor congratulated the Japanese Ambassador on the presentation of her credentials to the Maldivian president and went on to express his deepest appreciation for the continuous support and assistance provided to the people of Maldives by the Japanese government in the past five decades.

Extending his appreciation for the generosity shown towards the Maldives by Japan in its ongoing efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19, the foreign secretary emphasized the generous donation of 112,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses by the government of Japan through the World Health Organization (WHO) COVAX Facility, received in 2021.

The pair also agreed to collaboratively work towards further developing the bilateral relations between the two countries and seizing the opportunity of the 55th Anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2022.

Discussions also revolved around ways to commemorate the occasion jointly both in Maldives capital, Malé and Tokyo.

The Japanese Ambassador went on to express her heartfelt thanks for the warm welcome and expressed her determination to further boost the bilateral relationship between Maldives and Japan.

The second female resident ambassador appointed to the Maldives from Japan, Ambassador Midori will take over from her predecessor, Keiko Yanai who served as Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives from January 2019 to December 2021.

The meeting was joined by Additional Secretary Javed Faizal, Executive Director Fathimath Naeema and Desk Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Shujau.