Ambassador of Maldives to the Kingdom of Belgium, Geela Ali, signed the Samoa Agreement on behalf of the Maldives government at a signing ceremony held at the OACPS Secretariat's headquarters located in Brussels, Belgium today.
The Maldives has signed the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS)'s Samoa Agreement.
The Samoa Agreement sets out the framework for the relationship between the European Union (EU), its member states, and the member states of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS).
Ambassador of Maldives to the Kingdom of Belgium, Geela Ali, signed the Samoa Agreement on behalf of the Maldives government at a signing ceremony held at the OACPS Secretariat's headquarters located in Brussels, Belgium today.
During the signing, a 'declaration' and 'reservation' were also submitted regarding the agreement's provisions that conflict with the Maldives constitution. This "partnership agreement" is the first such agreement signed by Maldives with the European Union.
The agreement will facilitate further expansion of cooperation between Maldives and the European Union on economic development, sustainable development, environment, and climate change. It will also facilitate Maldives' access to the facilities available to OACPS member countries within the EU, the Ministry said.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu decided to participate in the Samoa Agreement, which was forwarded to parliament and gained approval. According to a report by the parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, which studied the issue, participating in the agreement will facilitate more opportunities for Maldivian fish products to be exported internationally.
However, the timing of reduced fish export duties to the EU can only be predicted after negotiations.
"After signing the agreement, procedures and negotiations with the EU are expected to take a long time," the report said.
The agreement will only take effect after the OACPS regional groups and the EU accede to an Economic Partnership Agreement. The parliament committee report also indicated that the Maldives decided to seek benefits through OACPS because consultations with the EU have not yielded a solution.
The Samoa Agreement focuses on six key priority areas to tackle the main challenges over the next twenty years. The six key areas include human rights, democracy, and governance, peace and security, human and social development, inclusive sustainable economic growth and development, environmental sustainability and climate change and migration and mobility.
To date, the Samoa Agreement has been signed by 27 EU countries and 69 out of the 79 OACPS countries. The agreement has been ratified by two EU countries and two OACPS countries.
The OACPS was established in 1975 under the “Georgetown Agreement”. The Maldives became a full member of the OACPS on 9 December 2022 and has been working together with members of the OACPS and the European Union to address global challenges.
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