A delegation of the European Union (EU) Ambassadors on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on H.E. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The delegation is in the Maldives to attend the Sixth "Maldives-EU Policy Dialogue." The meeting with the President was held this afternoon at the President's Office.
The E.U. Ambassador to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Denis Chaibi, headed the delegation. He was joined by the Ambassador of the Republic of Italy to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Rita Manella; Ambassador of the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Katharina Wieser; Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Holger Seubert; Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Bonnie Horbach; Chargé d'affaires at the Embassy of Romania, Mr Victor Chiujdea; and Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of France, Mr. Mr. Aurélien Maillet.
At the meeting, the President and the delegation members spoke about the agenda for the Maldives-EU Policy Dialogue, where the President talked about easing Schengen visa facilitation for Maldivian travellers. The President also raised the matter of easing the tariffs that EU nations levied on the Maldives' fisheries sector exports.
The EU delegation expressed interest to expand its engagement with Maldives, noting that Maldives is increasingly becoming a crucial actor on the international stage. In that regard the delegation highlighted the leading role played by the Maldivian Presidency at the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The delegation also congratulated the Maldives on winning its candidature for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the term 2023-25. The delegation underscored the significant role that Maldives is situated to play through the UNHRC in bridging cooperation between Western nations and Asia. The delegation members assured their commitment to work closely with Maldives to elevate the existing Maldives-EU cooperation on all fronts of common concern.
The Sixth Maldives-EU Policy Dialogue takes place today, 23 November 2022.
