President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, on Monday, said that over the last five years, the foreign policy of the country was focused on protecting and upholding Maldives' peace as the top priority.
He made these remarks while speaking at the ceremony held at the President's Office on Monday morning, November 13, to confer the Most Distinguished Foreign Service medal to two long-serving individuals.
The Most Distinguished Foreign Service medal were conferred to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel and the Foreign Secretary Ahmed Latheef.
President Solih conferred a medal, a plaque, and a certificate to the recipients of the medal.
Both Khaleel and Latheef are stepping down after serving an extensive period in the foreign service.
Khaleel has served in the foreign service for more than 41 years and is also one of the few people who continuously held positions in the field. He was first enlisted in the Maldives foreign service on December 22, 1981.
In his extensive career, Khaleel has worked for the Department of Immigration and Emigration as the English Secretary. He spent the majority of his career working for the Permanent Mission of the Maldives to the United Nations in New York, where he was stationed for more than 17 years.
Besides this, he also served as the Ambassador of the Maldives to Japan for seven years after which he was appointed as the Secretary, Bilateral at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on October 3, 2016. He was then appointed as the current Minister of State for Foreign Affairs on November 22, 2018.
Latheef began his service on November 26, 1981, starting his career as an Assistant Undersecretary at the then Ministry of External Affairs. He is also credited for his work in strengthening Maldives' ties with foreign nations, especially the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and played a significant role in creating it as well.
Additionally, he also served as the Maldives' Director of the SAARC Secretariat.
During his extensive career, Latheef has held posts of Director General, Assistant Executive Director, and Executive Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He also played a prominent role as the Deputy High Commissioner of the High Commission when the Resident Mission of the Maldives was established in New Delhi, India in 2004.
Latheef is also the first Ambassador appointed to China from the Maldives and served as the Maldivian Ambassador to Germany as well.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Solih said that the ties with international organizations were in disarray when the current administration took office. He added that diplomatic relations had been severed between various Islamic countries and the Maldives, which had hindered or isolated the country in the international arena.
President Solih highlighted the efforts of the current government to regain the international community's trust and confidence, and expressed his gratitude to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid for his instrumental role in restoring foreign ties and confidence in the Maldives in the international community.
"Maldives' relationship with international organizations and associations had significantly deteriorated, with ties completely severed with some of the Islamic nations, which was a deep loss for the Maldivian community," President Solih said.
At the ceremony, the outgoing president also highlighted the efforts made to transform the ministry, stating that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was removed from the civil service mandate under a special law in 2022 with the aim of strengthening the ministry and support the President and the government in sustaining the foreign policy efficiently.
"This positive change was brought to ensure the ministry works to support the President and present government in sustaining and upholding the respective government's foreign policy," President Solih added.
He also emphasized the foreign service officers' tireless work amid the Covid-19 pandemic, and concluded his address while expressing hope that the Maldives' foreign service sector would continue to improve and thrive in the global community.
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