Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has thanked Member of European Union (EU), Tomáš Zdechovský, for supporting Maldives’ then-opposition’s fight to reestablish democracy.

The two met on Wednesday, during the minister’s ongoing visit to Brussels, Belgium.

The foreign minister thanked the MEP for his “strong support for democracy consolidation in Maldives,” during the meeting, and discussed on ways to further expand bilateral cooperation between the archipelago nation and the European Union.

While Shahid revealed this via a tweet, Zdechovsky’s office released a statement following the meeting.

MEP Zdechovsky had traveled to Maldives ahead of the 2018 presidential elections. After returning from the trip, he publicly called for sanctions on selected Maldivian politicians and regime supporters breaching human rights and attempting to overturn the election outcome.

MEP Zdechovsky also noted that Maldives did not have an independent parliament or judiciary a year ago, and that anyone who spoke openly against the regime was violently silenced or killed.”

Also at the meeting, Minister Shahid emphasized that Maldives was able to move this far on the path towards democracy and rule of law because of Zdechovský’s “determination and courage.”

Zdechovský was accompanied by MEPs Maria Gabriela Zoana, and Ryzsard Czarnecki, along with the former President of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Henri Malosse and EESC Member Madi Sharma, during the “confidential” trip to the Maldives in August 2018.

The MEPs are to have forfeited their vacation to travel to the Maldives “in order to show their support for the Maldivian people, and to witness first-hand, the country’s slide into authoritarianism.”

The visit came after the EU announced possibility of restrictive measures on Maldives, including threats of targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for the "undermining the rule or obstructing an inclusive political solution" and those who have committed "serious human rights violations."