The government of Japan has provided a grant aid of USD 4.64 million to the Maldives aimed at strengthening border control and countering terrorism.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid and the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Keiko Yanai signed the Exchange of Notes relating to the grant aid, at a ceremony held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 21. This grant aid will be utilised to further strengthen the capacities of the Maldives Immigration and the Maldives Customs Services towards strengthening border control and countering terrorism. Under the grant aid, equipment, including facial recognition system, mobile x-rays, counterfeit bill detectors, special luminescent microscope, speedboats, and vehicles will be provided to the two agencies.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Shahid thanked the government of Japan for the grant aid, characterising it as yet another important gesture of Japan’s goodwill and extraordinary generosity to the Maldives. Minister Shahid recalled that expanding of bilateral cooperation into areas such as counter-terrorism and border security were among the key issues discussed during official visit of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to Japan in October 2019, adding the conclusion of the Exchange of Notes marks an important outcome following the visit.
The Japanese ambassador noted this grant assistance aims to strengthen the capacity and capability of the Maldives Immigration and Maldives Customs Service for border control and operational readiness. Highlighting the remoteness and vulnerabilities of islands in the Maldives, she noted maintaining secure maritime, land and air borders is a key to the national security and public safety, adding coordination among the relevant agencies is extremely important.
Japan is an important bilateral partner of the Maldives for several decades. Discussions are currently ongoing between the two governments for a project to assist the Maldives to increase the capacities of the health service providers in the country during the spread of COVID-19.
Earlier this month, Japan provided a grant of USD 356,400 for UNICEF Maldives and USD 185,000 for Maldives Red Crescent to assist the Maldives in its efforts to respond to COVID-19. Japan has also committed a grant of USD 1.4 million to the UNDP Maldives that will support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) affected by COVID-19.