The Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid met with the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on June 16, Friday.
The two met in Washington D.C., at the US Capital, where Blinken conveyed his support for deepening bilateral relations between the two countries, especially with the re-establishment of a Maldivian embassy in the US.
Blinken thanked the Maldives for its proactive leadership in the Summit for Democracy, and added that the Maldives remains a leader in the region on promoting and strengthening democracy.
Additionally, the Foreign Minister highlighted that he and Blinken engaged in a constructive discussion that centered around various key areas, such as expanding higher education opportunities for Maldivian students to study at American universities and fostering greater economic cooperation through trade and investments.
They addressed the importance of facilitating easier visa processes to promote greater people-to-people contact and enhance international efforts to address climate change. They also discussed the significance of collaborative efforts to maintain peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Maldivian government re-established its embassy in the US after the previous embassy was closed down in 2008 due to budgetary constraints.
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