Three new Ambassadors and one new High Commissioner presented their credentials to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday.
Belgian Ambassador
Firstly, the new Ambassador of Belgium to the Maldives, Didier Vanderhasselt, presented his letter of credence to President Solih. The ceremony took place at the President’s Office yesterday morning.
Following the welcome reception, President Solih congratulated the Ambassador on assuming his role and spoke on further enhancing the friendly relations between the two nations. The Ambassador and the President spoke briefly about mutual interests and cooperation between the two countries.
At the meeting, Ambassador Vanderhasselt and President Solih discussed matters of cooperation, both bilateral and international, by supporting each other in areas such as climate change, renewable energy, tourism, and international trade.
Sudanese Ambassador
The Ambassador of Sudan to the Maldives, Abdallah Omer Bashir Elhusain presented his letter of credence to President Solih on Monday as well.
At the meeting afterwards, the President congratulated the Ambassador on his new appointment and discussed various avenues of bilateral cooperation. During the meeting, President Solih and Ambassador Elhusain discussed ways to enhance trade and investments and explored avenues of cooperation on fisheries, agriculture, tourism, and climate change.
The President stated that the Maldives grants on-arrival visas, irrespective of country, and expressed hope for ease of travel for Maldivians to Sudan, in order to boost people-to-people interactions.
Swedish Ambassador
The Ambassador of Sweden to the Maldives, Jan Thesleff also presented his letter of credence to President Solih on Monday at a ceremony held at the President’s Office.
At the meeting afterwards, the President congratulated the Ambassador on his new appointment and reaffirmed the two countries’ close bilateral ties. Speaking with President Solih, Ambassador Thesleff noted that many Maldivian students are pursuing higher education in Swedish institutions.
Before concluding the call, the President and the Ambassador expressed their commitment to further strengthen the long-standing bilateral and multilateral cooperation between the two countries. This year marks the 45th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries.
High Commissioner of Seychelles
Lastly, the High Commissioner of Seychelles to the Maldives, Claude Morel presented his letter of credence to President Solih.
The President welcomed the High Commissioner to the Maldives and congratulated him on assuming his new role. Afterwards, President Solih and High Commissioner Morel engaged in discussions on various subjects, including improving maritime security, counter-narcotics cooperation, anti-human trafficking cooperation, tourism, and the fisheries sector.
Speaking at the meeting, High Commissioner Morel also commended the work of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Abdulla Shahid (ODRI), during his tenure as the President of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). He also spoke about the Maldives’ prominent role in the international arena on climate-related issues and at the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).
