Maldives delegation departs for 2nd Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and the European Union
The Maldives delegation attending the Second Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and the European Union departs to Brussel, Belgium, tonight.
The Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and the European Union is held annually to facilitate open and constructive engagement between the Maldives and the European Union and to further strengthen the existing ties of friendship and cooperation between the Maldives and the European Union. This is the second iteration of this meeting, and will be held in Brussels, Belgium on 10 September 2021. The First Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and the European Union was held in February 2020.
The thematic areas of discussion at this year’s meeting will be on Governance, Democracy, Human rights, Rule of Law; Prevention of Violent Extremism and Counter-Terrorism; Economic and Trade Cooperation; Development Cooperation including ‘economic recovery and resilience’; sectoral issues; regional cooperation; and international cooperation.
The Maldives delegation will be led by Foreign Secretary, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed. Senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President’s Office, Maldives Police Service, Ministry of Economic Development, National Counter Terrorism Centre, and Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology will also be in attendance.
The delegation from the European Union will be led by the Deputy Managing Director at the European External Action Service, Paola Pampaloni.
During this visit, the Maldives delegation will also meet with senior officials from Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE), Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA), Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), European External Action Service (EEAS), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium. The delegation will also meet with Members of the European Parliament and attend the opening of the Office of the Honorary Consul of the Maldives in Flanders, Belgium.