As part of his visit to Bhutan to attend the 16th SAARC Summit, President Mohamed Nasheed this afternoon met with the United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affair Robert Blake.
Speaking at the meeting, President Nasheed noted that this was the first SAARC Summit he attended, and highlighted the importance of making this Summit more effective in attaining tangible outcomes.
The President also spoke on the importance of all SAARC member states presenting a common position in the international climate negotiations.
Noting the success of the Maldives Donor Conference that was held in March, Assistant Secretary of State Blake said the pledges made by the US during the conference were focused on assisting the Maldives’ climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.
He expressed confidence that with President Nasheed’s leadership, this assistance would result in concrete action to address the effects of climate change in the Maldives.
US Assistant Secretary of State Blake commended the President’s active role during climate negotiations in Copenhagen, and said that the US President and the Secretary of State expressed their appreciation for the President’s contribution to these negotiations.
In addition, President Nasheed and the top US representative in the region discussed the most pressing regional issues, during their meeting.
