President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has said that the bilateral summit meeting between the Maldives and Japan has been very successful. The President made this remark while speaking to the media at the Japanese Prime Minister’s Office, following the bilateral summit meeting. The meeting led by President Yameen and Prime Minister Abe, was held earlier this evening.
Highlighting the key areas of discussion during the meeting, the President especially noted the longstanding close bilateral relations between the Maldives and Japan. He said that discussions were held on a wide array of areas where the two countries could extend cooperation in; particularly the areas of environmental sustainability and clean energy, defense and maritime security, fisheries and tourism, infrastructure development, communications and broadcasting, human resources development and youth empowerment, disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation, and trade and investment.
In his speech, President Yameen expressed his gratitude to the Japanese Government for their overwhelming response to the Maldives' recovery efforts, during the aftereffects of the Asian Tsunami ten years ago.
The President thanked Prime Minister Abe and his Government for inviting him to conduct an official visit to Japan, while extending an invitation to Prime Minister Abe to come to the Maldives.
Speaking to the media, the Japanese Prime Minister noted that Maldives and Japan shared similar fundamental values; notably the values of freedom and democracy. He said that an agreement had been reached at the summit meeting that the Maldives and Japan would work together to deal with regional and global issues.
Further, the Japanese Prime Minister underlined that the two countries had agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of combating climate change. He affirmed his commitment to make continuous efforts to further develop the bilateral relations between the Maldives and Japan, while building upon the result of President Yameen’s visit to Japan.
Following the bilateral summit meeting, the President and the Japanese Prime Minister signed the joint statement issued by the two countries. The two heads of State also exchanged commemorative gifts.
