The Nepalese Prime Minister, Sushil Koirala, has invited President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to attend the 18th SAARC Summit to be held in Nepal, in November.
The letter of invitation was presented to the President by a Special Envoy of the Nepalese Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Mahendra Bahadur Pandey.
At the meeting held this afternoon at the President’s Office, President Yameen conveyed his appreciation to Prime Minister Koirala and confirmed his acceptance of the invitation.
President Yameen welcomed Foreign Minister Pandey to the Maldives and assured of his Government’s commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the Maldives and Nepal. President Yameen and Minister Pandey explored ways of further expanding cooperation between the two countries, especially in the areas of education, trade and investment.
Highlighting that a number of Maldivian youths had, over the years, opted for Nepal as a preferred destination for higher studies in medicine, Foreign Minister Pandey assured President Yameen of his Government’s commitment to increase availability of university seat placements for Maldivians aspiring to study medicine in Nepal.
President Yameen commended Nepal on its recent successes in strengthening the country’s democratic institutions. He also conveyed his sincere wish for lasting peace and prosperity of Nepal.
Noting that the two countries have worked together closely on issues of regional cooperation, President Yameen expressed appreciation for Nepal’s contributions to promoting regional cooperation and for the development of SAARC. President Yameen and Minister Pandey further exchanged views on making SAARC a more dynamic Association, by enhancing the role of SAARC through greater cooperation among member countries.
Exchanging views on the future of SAARC, President Yameen recalled the vision of SAARC’s founding father to make the association a powerful regional block of political and economic significance. He noted that SAARC should open up avenues for closer economic and trade cooperation with other regions, and that Dialogue Partners and Observers should be encouraged to actively participate in exchanges of views on further strengthening the organisation.
The Nepalese Foreign Minister commended president Yameen on a successful tenure for the Maldives as the Chair of SAARC, and assured President Yameen of Nepal’s continued support in working closely with the Maldives and other members of SAARC on the global arena, including the efforts to reform the United Nations and to raise the voices of Small Island Developing States and land-locked developing countries such as Nepal and Bhutan.
President Yameen was joined at the call by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dunya Maumoon, Minister at the President’s Office, Hon. Mohamed Hussain Shareef and Foreign Secretary, Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed.
