US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, on Wednesday, paid a courtesy call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as part of his ongoing official visit to Maldives.
During the meeting, President Solih and Secretary Pompeo discussed avenues of enhancing the bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation, environmental conservation, trade and investment facilitation, cybersecurity, combatting terrorism and upholding the principle of a stable, open and peaceful Indian Ocean region.
Welcoming Secretary Pompeo to Maldives, President Solih expressed gratitude for the US government's assistance towards the Maldives as well as for increasing positive engagement in several important bilateral spheres.
Secretary Pompeo arrived in Maldives on Wednesday afternoon and was welcomed at Velana International Airport by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.
Maldives is Secretary Pompeo's third stop in his string of visits to major countries of the Indo-Pacific region. So far, he has travelled to India, Sri Lanka and is scheduled to visit Indonesia after departing from Maldives.
Throughout the course of the visit, Secretary Pompeo is also scheduled to conduct bilateral discussion with Minister Shahid.
Deliberations are expected to revolve around security concerns in the Indian Ocean region, the global battle against the COVID-19 pandemic and endeavors to further boost bilateral ties between the two countries.
Secretary Pompeo's visit is the highest-level visit by a US Government official to the Maldives, since the visit of US Secretary of State, James Addison Baker III on 24 July 1992.
In September, Maldives' Ministry of Defence and the United States of America's Department of Defence signed a framework agreement in order to address growing security concerns in the Indo-Pacific and the Indian Ocean region, including the threat of piracy, violent extremism, terrorism and illicit trafficking.
Furthermore, the US has also extended considerable assistance to support Maldives' COVID-19 response efforts. Most recently a donation of 60 portable critical care ventilators was facilitated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Till date, the US has contributed over USD 4 million, including a grant aid of USD 2 million as economic support, multiple donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), PCR machines and other related medical equipment, along with donations through multilateral agencies such as the IAEA and UNICEF.
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