Maldives will continue to strengthen our partnerships and widen our circle of international friends: Pres.

Maldives will continue to strengthen our partnerships and widen our circle of international friends, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

He made this remark while speaking at a virtual conference hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the fifty-fifth anniversary of independence for Heads of Missions accredited to the Maldives.

In his remarks, the president noted that he had promised during his inaugural address, that a Maldives foreign policy would be defined by robust international engagement.

Ensuring that he will keep that promise, the president noted that together, as equals, all challenges can be met and that we will recover and rebuild from the damage of Covid-19 for which the island nation will need the support from the international community.

Highlighting that this year, the country’s Independence Day falls during extraordinary times the president stressed that like the rest of the world we have had to endure many hardships due to the unprecedented challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

These challenges threaten to undermine much of the socio-economic progress we have achieved in recent decades and to safeguard our residents from the virus, we were forced to close our borders for months, he said.

Expressing gratitude for the generosity of the international community, President Solih stated that their support and good will remain crucial to the Maldives national resilience efforts.

Further, he noted that while the Maldives cherishes our independence, the Maldives equally values being part of the wider international community. There is no country that is completely self-reliant and the complex issues of our time can only be addressed through concerted global efforts. “This has been starkly illustrated to all of us during this ongoing pandemic”, said the President.