FM Shahid concludes visit to attend Munich Leader’s Meeting in Japan
He also participated in a roundtable discussion on international and regional peace and security
Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has ended his official visit to Japan.
The Maldivian foreign minister touched down in Tokyo on Monday. He concluded his visit on Thursday.
FM Shahid participated in the Munich Leader’s Meeting held from May 14 – 16 in Tokyo, as part of his official visit.
Further, he also participated in a roundtable discussion on international and regional peace and security.
The Maldivian minister also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Hayashi Yoshimasa, and other Ministers who attended the Munich Leader’s Meeting on the margins of the visit alongside the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, Enrique A. Manalo.
During his meeting with Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Manalo, discussions were held on boosting the ties between Maldives and Philippines.
In a Twitter post following his meeting with Secretary Manalo, FM Shahid expressed his pleasure in meeting him and noted that extensive discussions were held on how to scale up the ties between the two countries.
FM Shahid also noted that Maldives and Philippines will be marking 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, in 2023.
In a separate Twitter post, Secretary Manalo described the meeting to have been “excellent”, adding that they had mutually agreed to take steps to enhance cooperation in time for the 50th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Secretary Manalo went on to state that Maldives and Philippines enjoy warm people-to-people ties and valuable partnerships in the United Nations including in pushing for global climate action.
During his meeting with his Japanese counterpart, FM Shahid conveyed his appreciation for the continuous support and assistance provided to the people of Maldives by Japan during the past five decades.
FM Shahid also reiterated the long-standing and friendly relations between the two countries.
Shedding light on the strong bilateral relations that exists between the two countries, the Japanese foreign minister expressed appreciation to the government of Maldivian for its cooperation with Japan on international and regional issues, especially in realizing the “Free and Open Indo Pacific” vision.
The two ministers also went on to touch upon the close historical relationship between the two countries and agreed to cooperate towards further enhancement of bilateral and multilateral relations.
The Munich Leader’s Meeting was organized by the Munich Security Conference and was designed to take place as a 24-hour off the record meeting in various capitals across the world. It brought together heads of government and international organizations, ministers, parliamentarians, civil society representatives, leading CEOs and high-level private sector representatives as well as reputable journalists to discuss and debate about international security policy and regional security challenges.
The meeting was held against the background of the G7 Hiroshima Summit, scheduled to be held later in May under the Japanese Presidency of the G7. It gave leaders in the Indo-Pacific an opportunity to connect with their counterparts in the West to discuss how best to ensure regional and global stability.
The Munich Leader’s Meeting was held in partnership with the government of Japan and featured high-level roundtables with specific thematic focus, held under Chatham House rules.
Over the course of two days, FM Shahid delivered remarks and contributed towards discussions on various topics, including the Indo-Pacific security architecture, non-traditional security threats, multilateralism and partnerships, and security in the digital age. He also met and engaged with Ministers, CEOs, journalists, and security practitioners on a wide range of issues.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel, Joint Secretary at the foreign ministry Mariyam Midhfa Naeem, Director at the foreign ministry Hussain Jahhaz and Assistant Director at the foreign ministry Mohamed Shujau accompany the foreign minister during the trip.
