The government of Australia is to establish a High Commission in Malé.
This was announced by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Australia, Senator the Honorable Marise Payne via a press release on Friday.
The press release reads that the decision comes in a bid to strengthen engagement with the Maldives, which the Australian Minister described to be an important Indian Ocean neighbor.
Highlighting that a permanent Australian diplomatic presence in Maldives will add to the shared aspirations of Australia and Maldives for a stable, secure and resilient Indo Pacific, the Minister stated that the new High Commission of Australia in Maldives will back the commitment by both countries to democratic institutions.
She also revealed that the commission will enhance cooperation with multilateral, commonwealth and regional organizations all the while promoting enhanced cooperation on maritime security, combatting transnational crime and collaboration on climate change and the blue economy.
Further, the press release note that the development cooperation between both countries will be enhanced with opportunities for trade, investment and connectivity in the North East Indian Ocean also expected to be increased with the establishment of the high commission.
Minister Marise revealed that the government of Australia looks forward to work with Maldives on “realizing” this “significant” step to expand diplomatic ties.
In a press release issued shortly after, Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs warmly welcomed the announcement, describing it as an important milestone to further consolidate and solidify bilateral relations.
I firmly believe that this historic step in the bilateral relationship between the Maldives and Australia will facilitate greater levels of diplomatic engagement and reinvigorate the close partnership between our two countries”Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid’s Tweet.
Contributing immensely to the socio-economic progress of the Maldives especially in areas of climate change, human resource development, democracy, human rights, maritime security and combatting transnational crime, Australia remains a strong development partner of Maldives.
With this being said, the Maldivian minister expressed confidence that the permanent diplomatic presence of Australia in the Maldives will pave the way to expand the scope of the longstanding bilateral relations between both countries and pave the way for strengthened connections between the communities.
FM Shahid assured his Australian counterpart that the Maldivian government will extend “all necessary” support and assistance to the government of Australia to establish the first ever High Commission of Australia in Maldives.
