As part of his ongoing trip to the middle-east, Vice President Faisal Naseem has paid a courtesy call on Dr. Sultan bin Ahmad Sultan Al Jaber, the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates, President-designate of COP28, Managing Director and CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Chairman of Masdar and UAE's Special Envoy on Climate Change.

VP Naseem is currently on an official visit to Dubai, UAE.

Congratulating the minister on his appointment as the President-designate of COP28, VP Naseem expressed hope that the conference will be a resounding success under his capable leadership and guidance.

He also spoke about the close friendship shared between the Maldives and the UAE and stated that the island nation highly values its long-standing fraternal bonds of friendship with the UAE.

The vice president described the long-standing fraternal bonds of friendship Maldives has with UAE as both special and unique.

Highlighting that UAE has been a consistent and reliable friend and an invaluable development partner to the Maldives, VP Naseem went on to engage in extensive discussions regarding the efforts made by both parties on the international front.

As such, both leaders highlighted the multiple challenges and how to work together to resolve the issues effectively.

VP Naseem also expressed gratitude to the UAE government for its continued support and assistance to the island nation in several sectors, over the course of the years and expressed hope that the close partnership between both nations will continue to prosper and flourish for the mutual benefit of the people of both countries.

2023 marks the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Maldives and UAE.