Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer has assured that the Maldives will remain steadfast in calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
He said this while speaking to Ambassador of Palestine to the United Nations Riyad Mansour, during a meeting held at the Palestine Mission to the United Nations in New York City on Thursday as part of his recent brief visit to the United States of America.
Reiterating the Maldivian government’s solidarity with Palestinians in their right to self-determination and the immediate end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, FM Zameer conveyed the Maldivian government’s support for the admission of Palestine as a full UN member.
He went on to reaffirm the unwavering commitment of the Maldivian people to support their brothers and sisters in Palestine to attain their long overdue right to self-determination and admission as a full member State of the UN.
Zameer stated the Maldives would remain steadfast in condemning Israel's genocidal aggression and calling to bring an end to the ongoing genocide by Israel.
Zameer departed to the U.S. on an official visit from Velana International Airport (VIA) on Monday. He touched down in Washington D.C. on Monday evening.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that FM Zameer’s trip was from June 24 – 27.
As part of the visit, the Maldivian foreign minister also met Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the UN Li Junhua where discussions revolved around ways the Maldives can partner with the UN system to work towards making progress in building resilience, productive capacity and ensuring implementation of the Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) for Small Island Developing States.
Zameer also met the community of Maldivians residing in Washington D.C, New York and New Jersey, where he engaged in conversations and ensured that the government remains committed to continue providing efficient consular services through the Embassy of Maldives to U.S.
The foreign minister also hosted a working lunch for tour operators and travel advisors based in New York where he provided an overview of the tourism industry of the island nation and shed light on the significance of promoting Maldives tourism in the U.S. market.
On Thursday, Zameer met Secretary General of the United Nations António Guterres in New York, where he shed light on the significance of enhancing UN’s support for SIDS in the implementation of ABAS. Further he expressed commitment to further collaboration between Maldives and UN.
Speaking at the meeting, Guterres noted the leadership role Maldives played at the SIDS4 Conference as well as other multilateral fora, particularly on climate change and financing for development.
He went on to express commitment to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals and to ensuring that peace and security are upheld across the world.
Minister Zameer was accompanied by the Permanent Representative of the Maldives to the UN, Ambassador Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed, Bilateral Secretary Dr. Hala Hameed, Senior Undersecretary Hassan Hussain Shihab, and Second Secretary at the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the UN, Naufa Rushdi.
At the Council on Foreign Relations, Zameer participated in an interactive discussion where he emphasized key priorities of the Maldivian government and added that as a SIDS, Maldives remains one of the most vulnerable states to climate change.
As part of his trip, Zameer held a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held as part of the visit, on Wednesday where he gave his assurance that the government of Maldives remain committed to further enhance the partnership with the U.S.
FM Zameer reaffirmed the island nation’s commitment to further strengthen the partnership between the Maldives and U.S. in tackling climate change, promoting democracy and cooperation in maritime security.
Blinken in a post on ‘X’ revealed that discussions revolved around cooperation on climate, economic growth as well as maritime security.
The Maldivian foreign minister also met the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Samantha Power as well. During the meeting, he expressed appreciation for the contributions USAID has made towards the development journey of Maldives.
He also reaffirmed commitment to enhance and diversify the partnership.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this visit carried the purpose of strengthening bilateral relations and ensuring that the Maldives pays close attention to international issues, according to the ministry.
His visit comes amid mounting pressure from the U.S. over the Maldives’ decision to ban passports from Israel.
Israel continues to commit inhumane atrocities on the innocent people of Palestine in Gaza and while many Maldivians had expressed hope that the concerns of the Maldivian people would be raised with the U.S. government officials as Israel's closest ally, it is worth noting that Blinken did not shed light on the matter during the meeting.
As soon as the news of Maldives’ decision to ban Israeli passports made international headlines, there was a heated debate at the U.S. parliament, with U.S. parliamentarians having prepared a bill to the congress, seeking to take action and halt aid to the Maldives if the island nation carries through with the decision to ban Israeli passports.
The bill on banning Israeli passports was accepted by the People’s Majlis, and forwarded to the 241 Committee in early June. The bill was submitted by the former ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s MP for South Galolhu constituency Meekail Naseem, in a bid to amend the Immigration Act, to ban the entry of tourists with Israeli passports into the Maldives.
