Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi has held discussions on allowing Maldivian servicemen to train in prestigious UK institutions. She held the discussions during a meeting with the UK Minister of State for South and Central Asia, the United Nations and the Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon. He arrived in the Maldives on an official visit, marking the first high-level visit to the Maldives from the UK since 2018.
During the meeting, Minister Mariya thanked the UK government for the excellent cooperation and assistance extended to the Maldives, especially in the defence and security sector, signalling fresh impetus to a positive diplomatic trajectory in the past three years. The minister welcomed the opening of a new chapter in the age-old security relationship of the two countries, after a gap of over 10 years, in the form of training programmes and exercises with the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF).
Further discussions were held on boosting UK-Maldives cooperation in key areas of mutual interest, such as counter-terrorism, aviation security, humanitarian assistance, and narcotrafficking. Additionally, Lord Ahmad highlighted the commitment of the UK to boosting cooperation with the Maldives and welcomed the Maldivian government's interest in fostering human rights and democracy.
Senior military officials who joined the meeting include Vice Chief of Defence Force Brigadier General Abdul Raheem Abdul Latheef and Military Secretary Brigadier General Abdul Matheen Ahmed.