Foreign Minister Meets Head of Taskforce for Electoral Campaign Bid Committee Expo 2030 Rome

On Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid met with the Head of Taskforce for Electoral Campaign Bid Committee Expo 2030 Rome, Dr. Gaetano Castellini Curiel. The meeting was held as part of the official visit to the Maldives that Representative Curiel was undertaking from the 5^th to 7^th of December 2022.

During the meeting, Minister Shahid reaffirmed the commitment of the Government of Maldives towards the bilateral relations shared with Italy as well as the European Union. In this regard, the Minister acknowledged the contributions of Italy in initiating tourism in the Maldives and discussed avenues to further expand the partnership between the two countries on the bilateral and multilateral fronts. In addition to this, Minister Shahid also requested to waiver the Schengen Visa requirement for Maldivians making travel more accessible for the citizens. He also reiterated the recommendation to waiver the tariff imposed on fish exports of Maldives to the Europe.

The Foreign Minister was joined at the meeting by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Khaleel, Joint Secretary Mariyam Midhfa Naeem, Assistant Director Mohamed Shaffau Ibrahim and Assistant Director Aishath Rayahyn. Likewise, Representative Cureil was accompanied by the Ambassador of the Italy to the Maldives, Rita Giuliana Mannella, and Honorary Consul Representative of Italy in Maldives Giorgia Marazzi.