The government has appreciated the generosity shown by Japan towards the Maldives in its ongoing efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19. The Maldives expressed sentiments towards Japan during a call made by the Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives Takeuchi Midori on Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, following the presentation of credentials to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
During the meeting held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor congratulated Ambassador Takeuchi on the presentation of credentials to the president and expressed confidence that the close ties and friendship between the Maldives and Japan will continue to prosper during her tenure. The foreign secretary conveyed his appreciation for the continuous support and assistance provided to the people of the Maldives, by Japan during the past five decades. He also extended appreciation for the generosity shown towards the Maldives in its ongoing efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19, emphasising, in particular, the generous donations of 112,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine by the Government of Japan, facilitated through the World Health Organisation (WHO) COVAX facility, which the Maldives received in 2021.
Furthermore, Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor and Ambassador Takeuchi concurred to collaboratively cooperate toward further development of the bilateral relations, seizing the opportunity of the 55th Anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, and discussed ways to commemorate the occasion jointly both in Male' and in Tokyo. As such, the ambassador expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the warm welcome she received and stated that she is determined to further enhance the bilateral relationship between the Maldives and Japan.
Ambassador Takeuchi is the second female resident representative from Japan to the Maldives, who takes over from Keiko Yanai who served as the previous ambassador from January 2019 to December 2021.