Maldives will gain a lot from Commonwealth to further strengthen institutional capacity: Foreign Minister

Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has said Maldives will gain a lot from Commonwealth and its member states, in the country’s journey to further strengthen and bolster the country’s institutional capacity especially in the judicial sector.

During the meeting held with the Commonwealth Secretariat Staff Team, the foreign minister mentioned Maldives had a lot to contribute as well, through its experience in democratic consolidation, and its leadership in the areas of climate change and human rights.

At the meeting which was held at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Minister Shahid expressed the political will of the government of Maldives in becoming a member state of the Commonwealth at the earliest possible opportunity, and committed Maldives in pursuing the accession process in full cooperation with the Commonwealth Secretariat.

The Commonwealth Secretariat Staff Team on an assessment mission arrived in Maldives on January 29. During the visit, the team called on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Speaker of Parliament Qasim Ibrahim and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ahmed Abdulla Didi. The team also met with a host of senior government officials, independent institutions, political parties and other key stakeholders in the country.

The team is in the Maldives as part of an assessment required by the Commonwealth Secretariat to prepare the Maldives for its membership in the Commonwealth. In December 2018, upon the assumption of office, President Solih had committed Maldives to become a full member of the Commonwealth.

The Maldives first joined the Commonwealth in 1982, and left in October 2016 after 34 years.