Australia commends Dr. Muizzu's "pro-Maldives" foreign policy

The Australian government has commended President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's "pro-Maldives" foreign policy.

David Jessup, the Australian Ambassador to the Maldives, paid a courtesy visit to Dr. Muizzu, the president-elect, said.

Dr. Muizzu has been meeting with various ambassadors ahead of his swearing in scheduled on November 17.

At the meeting, Jessup assured continued assistance and support from the Australian government to the Maldives in its development and areas of mutual interest.

The president-elect earlier announced his "pro-Maldives" policy in response to various international media criticisms alleging of his "pro-China" leanings.

Dr. Muizzu pledged close ties with China, India, the United States, the Middle East, and other allies in the South Asian neighborhood.

According to Dr. Muizzu, the main issues to address is matters related to national security and sole dependency on a singular or specific foreign lender.

"Nation first. Maldives first. As for maintaining a 'pro', it will be 'pro-Maldives' [always]," Dr. Muizzu said.

During Tuesday's meeting with the Australian ambassador, Dr. Muizzu expressed his hope to elevate the bilateral ties between the two countries to the next level.

Dr. Muizzu highlighted the areas of cooperation and assistance from the Australian government and its people, including education opportunities for local students. He thanked Australia for its continued support in the development of human resources in Maldives.

In addition to meeting with the Australian ambassador, Dr. Muizzu also held discussions with Catherine Haswell, the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator to the Maldives, on Tuesday.

Dr. Muizzu thanked the UN for its role and assistance to the Maldives supporting its democratic reform efforts, and achieve developmental objectives.

He requested continued UN support in the Maldives' efforts to achieve prospective developmental goals as well.

At the meeting, Haswell assured UN's commitment to assist the Maldives in areas requiring improvement and support.

Haswell also assured support to the president-elect and his administration's efforts to achieve the pledges during the first 100 days of presidency.

The UN Resident Coordinator praised Dr. Muizzu's policy of women empowerment, according to the president-elect's office.