For the Maldives, independence was and is clearly interwoven with interdependence, says Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid.
He made this remark while speaking at a virtual conference hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to celebrate the 55th anniversary of independence for Heads of Missions accredited to the Maldives.
As such, the minister noted that Maldives belief that independence is interwoven with interdependence is the reason President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s foreign policy is “geared towards fortifying existing ties and establishing new ones”.
FM Shahid went on to note that the international community played a vital role in helping the Maldives overcome the many challenges and hurdles it faced at independence.
As such, the minister noted that it is with the support of the international community and “many friends” that the Maldives overcame the many challenges and hurdles it faced at independence, confronted the many challenges and crises throughout the years and achieved many successes it has achieved to date
In light of this, the country thanks development partners for their continued support and being part of our development story, said the minister.
FM Shahid pointed out that Maldives was the smallest country to have become and independent nation, 55 years ago, adding that the country was “certainly” the poorest independent country at the time.
We sought independence because we believed that we should have the freedom to determine our destiny at the same time, we also knew that a small, poor, newly-independent nation could not survive without recognition and could not thrive without support. Key drivers in our decision to join the United Nations at that time, at that time, some seriously questioned the ability of very small and economically-weak states to be effective members of the international community. But the principle of equality ensured that the Maldives became the 117th member less than two month after we became independent. The new country faced numerous challenges due to lack of human resources, poor infrastructure and underdeveloped economy among many others.”Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Further, he proudly noted that to date, the country has established formal diplomatic relations with 172 countries out of the 193 UN members and will continue to intensify and revitalize these mutually beneficial development partners.
FM Shahid expressed appreciation for the many partners that have already reached out and extended a helping hand to the island nation, at the same time the impact of the Covid-19 is estimated to be larger, resulting in “much larger requirements”.
I wish to thank you, Mr. President for your clear vision on the direction of the foreign policy of the Maldives and for your commitment to advancing human rights, democracy and climate change. We live in unprecedented times, the absence of the usually colorful celebrations on Independence Day point to the globally emergency we are living through, the challenge of Covid-19. As with many other challenges, Covid-19 hit the small island nations like the Maldives, hard, especially hard, as we are tourism-dependent countries. Our economy, our foreign currency receipts, our employment is dependent on tourism. Health care, education and social protection programmes depend on the income generated by tourism. Covid-19 has forced the government to make unprecedented choices, difficult decisions in the interest of containing the spread with the closure of borders for 110 days, the country was effectively a no-income country, with the closing of tourism industry. Only one incident comes close to the situation we are in today; the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. We recovered and rebounded from that incident with the support of the international community, the partnership between the people of the Maldives and the international community, provided a strong platform for sustainable reconstruction.”Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs
The whole world is in the same storm but in different boats today, said the Maldives minister, adding that this is the reason cooperation is of utmost importance.
It is also the reason why interdependence is key and this is why partnership is the way forward, said the minister.
Expressing hope that the country will soon have the opportunity to hold face-to-face meetings and celebrate the existing and revitalized partnerships between the countries that define and sustain the Maldives, FM Shahid noted that the Maldives is inviting the world to partner with the Maldivian people in order to make this nation a resilient nation.
This nation of unique traditions that writers link with poets and artists wove into their crafts. This civilization of boat-builders and fisher communities, this nation of unmatched beauty that generations of Maldivians have fought, some making the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, to protect and preserve. Join us, and work with us to build back better.”Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs
