Vice President Faisal Naseem on Wednesday attended a ceremony held as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations held to mark 70 years of service by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Speaking at the ceremony, the Vice President extended warm felicitations to Her Majesty on the special and joyous occasion of Her Majesty’s birthday on behalf of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Emphasising that this year also marks another milestone in the Maldives-United Kingdom relationship, the Vice President noted the special relationship between the two countries and their peoples. On this note, the he recalled the visit by Her Majesty to the Maldives 50 years ago, on March 13, 1972.
The Vice President described the collaboration between the two countries as a dynamic relationship spanning many areas, including governance, judicial reform, environmental protection, sustainable development, and defence cooperation, especially noting the growth of engagements between security agencies through increased exchange of expertise, training programmes, and exercises.
The Vice President expressed that the Maldives highly values the UK’s commitment to supporting our developmental priorities, especially in the area of human resources development. He added that programmes such as the Chevening Scholarships and the Commonwealth Scholarship Scheme continue to contribute immensely to building a skilled and competent workforce that serves at the top of their fields in almost all sectors of the Maldivian economy.
Speaking further, the Vice President highlighted that the UK remains a top export destination for Maldivian fishery products. The Vice President concluded his remarks by expressing hope of waiving the heavy tariffs imposed on the products and for favourable access to UK markets.
