His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has today met with the President of the General Assembly (PGA), His Excellency Abdulla Shahid, on the sidelines of the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The meeting was held at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City.
President Solih congratulated the PGA on his election and wished him success in achieving the Five Rays of Hope (list) that defines the PGA’s term. From among these, the PGA mentioned vaccinating the global population against Covid-19 by December of 2022 and ramping climate action are high up on the agenda. The PGA thanked the President for the confidence placed in him throughout the PGA campaign and ensuing election.
The PGA noted that it is a pride for the Maldives to be at the helm of the General Assembly. He further noted that the foreign policy of the Maldives is focused on maintaining existing ties and establishing new relations. The election victory, in the PGA’s words, signifies the positive reception of the international community of the Maldives’ foreign policy outlook.
The President thanked the PGA for the success attained so far in foreign policy implementation. In response, the PGA noted that the success of Maldives’ foreign policy is due to the talent and professionalism of the foreign service of the Maldives. The President and PGA agreed on the need to ramp up the political will to maximize resource mobilisation in regard to equitable access to affordable vaccines and socioeconomic recovery in the face of Covid-19. The PGA highlighted gender equality as an area of high priority during his term. He commended the President for the positive steps he has taken in the Maldives to promote gender equality, noting that 50 per cent of Maldivian ambassadors are women.
Ending the call, President Solih extended an invitation to PGA Shahid to visit the Maldives at an early date in his capacity as PGA.
