His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has hosted an official luncheon in honour of His Excellency Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is currently undertaking an Official Visit to the Maldives. The luncheon was held this afternoon at Kurumba Maldives.
During the luncheon, the President delivered remarks expounding on the deep and enduring ties between Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and on the substantial contributions made by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe to strengthening that relationship during his long-tenured and distinguished career as one of Sri Lanka’s top statesmen.
Continuing his remarks, the President highlighted that Sri Lanka and the Maldives have had historical links stretching back to ancient times. Further, the President noted that these links have flourished well into modern times, thereby facilitating our diplomatic cooperation in both the bilateral and multilateral spheres.
Further, the President stressed the importance of the upcoming 4th Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) to be hosted in the Maldives on 3rd September and chaired by Prime Minister Wickremesinghe. This conference, which will thematically focus on the traditional and non-traditional security threats of the Indian Ocean, will allow both our countries to explore new avenues for further engagement in collaboration with other major actors in the Indian Ocean region.
The President highlighted in particular that it is essential that we organize our efforts to meet one of the perennial menaces of the 21st century, terrorism. He expressed his deepest sympathies to the Sri Lankan people for this year’s Easter Sunday’s terrorist attacks which claimed hundreds of innocent lives, whilst restating the Maldives’ firm resolve to fully eradicate the threat posed by violent extremism. Further, he reiterated that his administration looks forward to working alongside the government of Sri Lanka in order to meet our many common challenges.
Concluding his remarks, the President thanked the Prime Minister for all that he has done to enhance friendly ties between Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Further, he relayed his best wishes to the Government and people of Sri Lanka.
