President Mohamed Nasheeed has this afternoon met with Prime Minister of Bhutan Lyonchen Jigmi Yoezer Thinley.

During the meeting held at the Maldives House in SAARC Village, President Nasheed’s residence during the Summit, both leaders discussed making this SAARC Summit more effective in delivering its promises to the people of the region.

Speaking at the meeting, President noted the climate related theme adopted for this year’s SAARC Summit. Theme of this year’s SAARC Summit is “Towards a green and happy South Asia”.
He reiterated that both developing and developed countries should commit to more emissions cuts to ensure the survival of low lying island nations such as the Maldives.

During the discussions with the Bhutanese Prime Minister, President Nasheed congratulated Bhutan for the hydro power project being undertaken in the country. He said this project would not only benefit Bhutan but also to the entire SAARC region, and expressed his interest to assist Bhutan to attract more investments for this project.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Thinley affirmed his support for President Nasheed’s calls for a global effort to combat climate change. He also said Bhutan would work with the Maldives to promote the issue in the international community.

He further said, despite geographical differences, Bhutan and the Maldives were equally vulnerable to climate change. He said the people of Bhutan were experiencing the effects of climate change.

Prime Minister Thinley also congratulated the President on the success of the underwater Cabinet meeting that was held in the Maldives in the lead up to Copenhagen Summit. He said the meeting conveyed a powerful message about the realities of what could happen to low lying island nations such as the Maldives if climate change was left unchecked.

The Bhutanese Prime Minister noted the role of President Nasheed in bringing democracy to the Maldives, and commended his efforts to consolidate democracy in the Maldives.

President Nasheed thanked the government and people of Bhutan for the warm welcome and hospitality given to him and his delegation.