Two new ambassadors have presented their credentials to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday.
Firstly, the Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Maldives, Katharina Wieser presented her letter of credence to President Solih at a ceremony held at the President’s Office.
Speaking with the Ambassador afterwards, President Solih congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and welcomed her to the Maldives. The President and the Ambassador then held discussions on an array of topics ranging from bilateral and multilateral relations, Covid-19, education and human resource development, visa facilitation, tourism cooperation, and climate change.
On the topic of strengthening cooperation in the fields of education and human resource development, President Solih expressed interest in establishing contact with academic institutions in Austria in the administration’s bid to increase quality higher education opportunities for Maldivian students. The Ambassador assured the President that she would look into the possibility of strengthening cooperation in this field.
President Solih also thanked the Austrian government for providing Maldivian travellers with easier visa facilitation services, expressing his desire to obtain visa-free travel for Maldivian travellers to member countries of the European Union (EU). President Solih concluded the meeting by expressing his confidence in the ambassador for continued partnerships between the two countries. The Maldives and Austria established diplomatic relations on March 1, 1978.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Tunisia to the Republic of Maldives, Hayet Talbi Bilel also presented her letter of credence to President Solih.
At the meeting, President Solih and the ambassador discussed a wide range of topics, including strengthening bilateral relations, the Covid-19 situation, development cooperation, and bolstering international cooperation. President Solih described Tunisia as a seaside nation bound by Islamic solidarity, similar to the Maldives, and spoke about the many shared common interests between the two.
President Solih expressed the Maldives’ commitment to working with Tunisia on these common goals, and expressed hope that the two countries’ long-standing relationship would be strengthened. On the topic of increasing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, the President expressed his interest in exploring potential avenues of cooperation and the exchange of expertise in the fields of fisheries, agriculture, and tourism development.
On the international front, President Solih spoke about enhanced collaboration at the United Nations (UN), Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and in the areas of human rights, counter-terrorism, peace, and security. On that note, the ambassador congratulated the Maldives on its increased role and participation in international fora, particularly the UN. She further assured President Solih of Tunisia’s continued support in this area.
President Solih and the ambassador concluded their meeting with the hope of elevating Maldives-Tunisia relations. The Maldives and Tunisia established diplomatic relations on September 10, 1983.