His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has met with the President of the Swiss Confederation, His Excellency Guy Parmelin, on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at the United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ) in New York City.
The two leaders discussed several topics pertinent to the mutual interests shared by the two countries, including the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, tourism cooperation, and counter-terrorism. President Solih enquired the status of the Covid-19 pandemic in Switzerland, detailing the Maldives’ successful efforts to curb the spread of the virus and reopen our borders for tourist arrivals. The discussion then moved on to prioritising tourism cooperation in Covid-19 recovery plans. In that regard, the two leaders expressed interest to establish a mechanism to issue Covid-19 travel certificates on a reciprocal basis.
President Solih also delineated the Maldives’ single-use plastic phase-out plan under way to address marine plastic pollution in the Maldives. The two leaders continued their discussion of the climate emergency, with President Solih commending the leadership of the European Union in addressing climate financing issues around the world. The Swiss President highlighted the urgency of committing to reduce emissions by 45 per cent by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. President Solih expressed hope that the Maldives, and other vulnerable states, would be able to work with the international community to gain equal and better access to climate financing.
Both leaders further emphasised their common commitment to collaborate bilaterally and with international partners to combat terrorism and violent extremism in all their forms.
Ending the call, both leaders expressed their interest to continue to work together to enhance the amicable ties between the Maldives and Switzerland in the years to come.
The Maldives established diplomatic relations with Switzerland on 23 June 1981.
