Foreign Secretary of the Maldives Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed has held bilateral engagements with senior officials from the European Union (EU) and the Government of Belgium.
The foreign secretary held a meeting with the Director in Charge at the Directorate-General for Trade Ewa Synowiec and discussed avenues for further strengthening trade cooperation between the Maldives and the EU. Further discussions were held regarding the elimination of tariffs on Maldivian tuna exports to the EU.
The foreign secretary also met with the Head of Unit at Directorate-General for International Partnerships Mario Ronconi, and discussed enhancing the Maldives-EU partnership and explored the avenues for increased investment from the EU in the Maldives. They also discussed future cooperation between the Maldives and the EU in economic and social development.
Furthermore, the foreign secretary held a meeting with the Director-General of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Charlina Vitcheva and discussed enhancing cooperation between the Maldives and the EU in conserving marine resources and the oceans. Further discussions included cooperation at the multilateral fora in areas of mutual concern regarding marine resources, fisheries, and the oceans.
Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor also met with Deputy Secretary-General of European External Action Service Helena Konig, at the European External Action Service Office, and discussed avenues for strengthening cooperation between the Maldives and the European Union in areas such as trade, economic development, and tourism cooperation. The discussions also included obtaining a free Schengen visa for Maldivians and starting negotiations for a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the Maldives and the EU.
Moreover, Foreign Secretary met the acting Director-General for Bilateral Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium Jeroen Cooreman, and discussed the avenues for enhancing the bilateral ties and discussed cooperation at various fora in issues of mutual concern for the Maldives and Belgium.
Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor is visiting Belgium to co-chair the Second Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and the EU. The Maldives delegation participating in this meeting includes senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President's Office, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), and the Maldives Police Service (MPS).
The Second Senior Officials Meeting will be held on September 10 in Brussels, Belgium.