The bilateral partnership between Maldives and the United States has never been stronger, says Ambassador of the United States to the Maldives, Alaina Teplitz.

Teplitz made this remark during a speech at the Iftar hosted by the embassy on Sunday evening.

She went on to state that there must be common values among every one no matter which ethnicity, religion or nationality they belong to and these values are important now more than ever following the Easter bombings in Sri Lanka.

“We must unite in condemning these acts of terror and the extremism and ignorance of a few individuals who do not represent Islam or any faith for that matter,” said Teplitz.

The ambassador, who was appointed in October 2018 also noted the positive differences observed in the Maldives during her past visits to the Maldives since appointment. She highlighted the successful parliamentary elections and the legislative changes such as the repeal of the anti-defamation act as well as anti-corruption efforts. These things, she said, are a “real sign” of progress.

Pledging to continue working alongside Maldives to achieve the common goals of both countries, Ambassador Teplitz expressed appreciation from the US Government for the collaboration Maldives has offered along with the firm commitment demonstrated “in such a short period of time”.

While both countries place a high priority on peace, prosperity, stability, freedom and human rights across the Indo-Pacific region, Ambassador Teplitz assured that the US government looks forward to working with Maldives to re-open the Maldivian Embassy in Washington DC and to continue deepening our bilateral ties.

The iftar was joined by former President Mohamed Nasheed, top government officials, civil society organizations from both countries, media, and businesses.