Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has met the United States’ Under Secretary of State David Hale.

The two met on the sidelines of the 74th United National General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

In a tweet, Minister Shahid said that the two discussed working closely together on a number of issues of mutual interest and that both agreed on the importance of a secure and stable Indian Ocean.

Also on Twitter, the United States’ Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs stated that the two discussed the United States’ role in cooperating and supporting Maldives’ efforts to strengthen democracy, counterterrorism and economic development.

Minister Shahid also met Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells during his visit to New York, where he is accompanying President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the UNGA.

The annual sessions of the UNGA gather together the leaders of all UN Member State to discuss and deliberate on major global issues. The present session of the UNGA began on 17th September and will continue until the 30th.

President Solih is set to become the first Maldivian Head of State to address the gathering in the past seven years.