The UK government has agreed to hold the first bilateral policy dialogue with the Maldives later this year. The decision was made during the official visit to the Maldives by the UK Minister of State for South and Central Asia, the United Nations and the Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon.
During the discussions held during his visit, the Maldives and the UK agreed to hold regular bilateral policy dialogues with the aim to further strengthen existing bilateral relations and explore new avenues for enhancing bilateral and economic cooperation, and people-to-people contact, including UK tariff on tuna exported from the Maldives. In this regard, the first bilateral policy dialogue has been scheduled for later this year.
The Maldives and the UK also agreed to further enhance the long-standing cooperation in the fields of defence and security matters. The UK currently provides assistance to the Maldives in the area of defence training, countering terrorism and prevention of radicalisation and violent extremism, enhancing good governance, judicial reform, and promotion of human rights. The two countries also agreed to continue working together on issues of climate change, environmental protection, and sustainable development.
Also during the visit, Lord Ahmad paid a courtesy call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and discussed the ongoing cooperation between the Maldives and the UK. Lord Ahmad also met Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel and discussed the bilateral partnership between the two countries and potential avenues for expanding cooperation. He then officially opened the British High Commission in Male' City and paid a courtesy call on Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.
Additionally, Lord Ahmad met with various ministers and visited Addu City and held meetings with the Addu City Council and Women's Development Committee, the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) Southern Area Command, and paid visits to the British War Memorial in Addu, and the Addu Nature Park.
Lord Ahmad's visit was the first high-level visit to the Maldives from the UK since 2018.