Maldives foreign minister's busy day in Washington DC; meets with a number of gov't officials

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid is currently in the United States, on the invitation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The minister held a number of meetings with US government officials on Tuesday, including with the State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Alice Wells.

Minister Shahid with Ambassador Alice Wells. Photo: Foreign Ministry

At the meeting held at the US Department on Tuesday morning, both parties held discussions on “judicial sector reform, upcoming parliamentary elections and ways to further strengthen cooperation.”

“The Ambassador and the Minister also discussed about the cooperation initiatives planned by the US government this year, to enhance collaboration between Maldives and the US in areas such as aviation security, public financial management, and counter-terrorism and violent extremism,” said the foreign ministry.

Wells, who was appointed to the bureau in 2017, made her maiden visit to the Maldives in October last year, shortly after incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the presidential election.

In addition to Wells, Minister Shahid met with Ed Gresser, the Assistant US Trade Representative for Trade and Policy.

Minister Shahid with Ed Gresser. Photo: Foreign Ministry

The ministry said that both parties “discussed ways to expand trade cooperation between Maldives and the US, including ways to further attract foreign direct investment from the US and increase access of Maldives Fisheries exports to US markets.”

Furthermore, Gresser is to have informed the minister that the US plans to resume talks regarding the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) in May this year; the agreement was signed in 2009.

While the foreign minister is expected to meet Pompeo later on Wednesday, he met with Assistant Secretary Tom Vajda and other state department officials on Tuesday afternoon.

At the meeting, Shahid “commended” the US leadership, for “maintaining order, especially in the Indo-Pacific region,” and highlighted that President Solih’s foreign policy aims “to make the Maldives a resilient nation that is able to work with its partners to achieve regional and global peace and stability.”

Minister Shahid also told the officials that the current administration is ready “to partner with United States to preserve the free and open international system.”

Foreign Ministry’s Minister of State, Ahmed Khaleel and Director Shiuneen Rasheed are accompanying the minister on the trip, while Maldives Ambassador to US, Ali Naseer Mohamed, attends the meetings with them.

After concluding this trip, Minister Shahid and team will depart to Geneva, Switzerland, on February 25.