Maldives to host the First Maldives-UK Strategic Dialogue
The First Maldives – UK Strategic Dialogue will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 20 February 2023 in a hybrid format, at Senior Official level. This dialogue aims to facilitate open and constructive engagement between the Maldives and the United Kingdom and to further strengthen the existing ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
The thematic areas of discussion of this year’s meeting will be on economic and trade cooperation, security cooperation, governance, democracy, human rights and rule of law, environment and climate change, higher education, visas and immigration and regional and international cooperation.
The Maldives delegation will be led by Secretary – Bilateral, Dr. Hala Hameed. Senior officials from the President’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, Attorney General’s Office, Ministry of Higher Education, Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Technology, Maldives Police Service, National Counter Terrorism Centre, Aviation Security Command and National Security Advisors Office will participate in this meeting.
The delegation from the United Kingdom will be led by Ben Mellor, Director, India and Indian Ocean Directorate at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Senior Officials from the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Defence and Department for Transport will participate in the meeting as well.