22 April 2013, Male';The first Non- Resident Ambassador of the Republic of Maldives accredited to the Republic of Korea His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Khaleel, has presented his Letter of Credence to the President of the Republic of Korea, Her Excellency Ms. Park Geun-hye in a ceremony held at the Cheong Wa Dae (Blue House) in Seoul on 18 April 2013.
During the meeting which followed the Ceremony, President Park congratulated Ambassador Khaleel on his accreditation as the first Maldivian Ambassador to Korea and expressed confidence that this will lead to further strengthening of the friendly relations between the Maldives and the Republic of Korea. Ambassador Khaleel thanked the President for the warm welcome and conveyed greetings from H.E. President Dr. Mohamed Waheed and the people of the Maldives.
Ambassador Khaleel also conveyed the sincere appreciation of the Government and the people of the Maldives for the continued assistance and cooperation from the Republic of Korea to the Maldives. Continuing, the Ambassador highlighted the threats faced by the Maldives due to global warming and environmental degradation and expressed the wish of the Maldives to continue to work with the Republic of Korea to find a comprehensive and binding agreement to curb climate change.
Speaking on the current issue in the Korean Peninsula, Ambassador Khaleel assured President Park of the support of the Government of the Maldives to the Republic of Korea as it strives to find a peaceful resolution to the ongoing tensions in the Peninsula.
Ambassador Khaleel also highlighted that Maldives places importance on the promotion of investments and economic cooperation between the two countries. President Park assured the Ambassador of the readiness of Korea to work with the Maldives to further enhance relations between the two countries in this regard. The President also noted that the Maldives is one of the most popular tourist destinations for young Koreans and expressed her hope that the recently inaugurated scheduled air services between the two countries will help more Koreans to travel to the Maldives on their honeymoon.
During the visit to Seoul, Ambassador Khaleel also called on the senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea and held meetings with some potential Korean investors.
H.E. Mr. Ahmed Khaleel is concurrently accredited to Japan and is based in Tokyo. The Embassy of the Maldives in Tokyo will be responsible for relations with the Republic of Korea as well.
ENDS