The Maldives has officially signed the “Partnership Agreement between the European Union (EU) and its Member States, of the one part, and the Members of the Organisation of the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), of the other part,” also known as the “Samoa Agreement”. The signing ceremony took place today at the OACPS headquarters in Brussels, marking a significant milestone in the Maldives’ international relations.
Geela Ali, the Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives to the Kingdom of Belgium, signed the Agreement on behalf of the Maldives. Alongside the signing, the Maldives also submitted declarations and reservations to specific articles of the Agreement.
The Samoa Agreement is set to serve as a comprehensive framework for the relationship between the European Union and the OACPS for the next twenty years. It aims to enhance the capacity of OACPS member countries to tackle global challenges, focusing on key areas such as democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development, peace and security, as well as migration and mobility.
This Agreement signifies the first partnership agreement between the Maldives and the European Union, paving the way for enhanced cooperation in various domains including economic development, trade, environment, and climate change. The Agreement will also allow OACPS Member States to benefit from numerous EU initiatives.
The Samoa Agreement brings together 79 member states of the OACPS and 27 member states of the European Union, representing nearly 2 billion people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds and constituting more than half of the Member States of the United Nations.
The OACPS, which includes African, Caribbean, and Pacific States, was established in 1975 under the “Georgetown Agreement”. The Maldives became a full member of the OACPS on 9 December 2022 and has since been collaborating with other OACPS members and the European Union to address pressing global issues.
This historic signing marks a new chapter in the Maldives’ international engagements, promising a future of strengthened ties and collaborative efforts to address shared challenges.
