Newly Appointed Ambassadors & High Commissioners Of 8 Countries Presents Credentials To President

On Sunday, six newly appointed Ambassadors and two High Commissioners presented their credentials to the President of the Maldives, His Excellency Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. The new Ambassadors and High Commissioners presented their letter of credence to the President during a special ceremony held at the President’s Office. Following the ceremony, President Solih met with the new appointees and spoke on various topics of mutual interest.

The six Ambassadors are:
1. Ambassador of Mongolia to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Ganbold Dambajav
2. Ambassador of France to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Jean-Francois Pactet
3. Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Levan Dzhagaryan
4. Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Siniša Pavić
5. Ambassador of Hellenic Republic to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Dimitrios Loannu
6. Ambassador of Slovenia to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Mateja Vodeb Ghosh

The two High Commissioners are:
1. High Commissioner of the Republic of Namibia to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Gabriel P. Sinimbo
2. High Commissioner of Canada to the Republic of Maldives, H.E. Eric Walsh

Speaking at the meeting, the President reflected on the instrumental roles accredited High Commissioners and Ambassadors play in strengthening and maintaining bilateral relations between Maldives and other diplomatic nations. On this note, he remarked that the administration recognizes the developmental aspirations of the people which the government strives to achieve through increasing reliance on diplomacy and international cooperation. Elaborating further, President Solih mentioned that the Maldives’ foreign policy rests on three essential pillars, namely: promotion and protection of human rights, consolidating democracy and championing climate diplomacy.

The President also shed light on the implementation of necessary fiscal policy changes by the administration to curb and mitigate the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Maldivian economy. Underscoring the importance of people-to-people contact, he added that building on that would enable more accessible travel and thus encourage cultural exchanges and strengthen economic ties as well as provide bridges to peace, prosperity and progress.

Before concluding the meeting, President Solih stated that the Maldives grants on-arrival visas to various countries and expressed confidence in easing travel for Maldivians and citizens of the respective countries soon. He also iterated his hope in strengthening relations between the Maldives and the countries during the terms of the newly appointed ambassadors and high commissioners.