President Meets Minister Shahid and Congratulates on Appointment as UNGA President

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid and congratulated him on his success of winning the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly at the 76th session. The meeting was held on July 6, 2021. Minister Shahid’s presidency will commence on September 14, 2021. 

During the meeting, President Solih said that Minister Shahid’s win was a proud achievement of the Maldives, and congratulated him on behalf of all Maldivian citizens. The president viewed this development as a step forward in raising the country's stature on the world stage and he hoped it would bring more success to the country. The President also expressed confidence in Minister Shahid and his future undertakings as the President of UNGA and extended well wishes for his upcoming new role. Moreover, President Solih commended Minister Shahid on his work in astutely carrying out the Maldives' Foreign Policy. 

In response, Minister Shahid acknowledged the efforts of the President in mobilizing support for candidates from UN member states in the months leading up to the elections and thanked President Solih for the nomination. Minister Shahid acknowledged the President's efforts in rekindling and improving the Maldives' relations with the international community, and described it as one of the most important diplomatic victories since the Maldives won since the independence in 1965. The Minister has stated that this would bring many opportunities to the Maldives and assured the President that he would work to achieve new heights of development.