Maldives’ First Embassy in Mideast Opens in Riyadh

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Nizar Madani and Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid formally opened the new Maldivian Embassy in Riyadh on Monday in an event attended by senior government officials and foreign diplomats.

To mark the occasion, the Saudi state minister and the visiting minister unfurled the Maldivian national flag on the embassy’s premises in the Sulaimaniyah district of Riyadh. Following the ceremonial opening, the island’s new Ambassador Hussain Shihab, who presented his credentials to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on Sunday, hosted a luncheon.

“We are happy to have opened our embassy in the Saudi capital, which is the first Maldivian mission in the Middle East,” Shahid told Arab News.

“We chose Saudi Arabia as the first destination to have our foreign mission in the region because the Kingdom, which hosts millions of pilgrims in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah each year, is not only a leader in the Muslim world but also as a strategic hub,” the minister said, pointing out that the Maldives has been a Muslim country for well over 855 years.

“Saudi Arabia plays an important role in unifying the Islamic Ummah and we are happy that we have stepped into this holy soil at a time when there is a strong need for unity among the world Muslim community,” he noted.

He said that his country is gradually spreading its diplomatic wings by opening new missions in Singapore, Tokyo, Beijing, Geneva and now in Saudi Arabia. He added that the embassy’s priority would be to develop strong economic relations between the Kingdom and the Maldives.

He also said the mission’s officials would be in a position to meet and assist the Haj and Umrah pilgrims who come to the holy cities during the respective seasons. Around 3,000 pilgrims come every year for Haj and Umrah from the Maldives.

The mission, in cooperation with the Honorary Consul Abdul Hameed Hanaffi, who is based in Jeddah, will also offer consular services to its nationals and others.

With regard to the entry visa to Madives, he said that the Maldivian government issues visas on arrival to Saudis and people resident in the Kingdom. He added that his government would start negotiations with the Saudi aviation authorities to start direct flights between Saudi Arabia and the Maldives.

Source: http://www.arabnews.com/

Five new Ambassadors appointed

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Sunday appointed five new Ambassadors. The appointments are as follows;

- Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Anbaree Abdul Sattar, who resides in New Delhi as the Maldivian High Commissioner to India, was appointed as the concurrent Non-resident Ambassador to Afghanistan.

- Hussain Shihab as the Ambassador of the Maldives to Saudi Arabia.

- Dr. Mohamed Asim as the High Commissioner of the Maldives to the United Kingdom.

- Ali Hussain Didi as the High Commissioner of the Maldives to Sri Lanka.

- Abdul Hameed Zakariyya as the Ambassador of the Maldives to Japan.

The ceremony to hand-over the Letters of Appointment was held at the President’s Office.

After the ceremony, the President met with the Ambassadors and congratulated them and spoke about their responsibilities.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid, Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mohamed Hussain and the Deputy Minister at the President’s Office, Dr. Hala Hameed attended the meeting.

Source: Haveeru.com.mv

Maldives to open Honorary Consulate in Bangalore

Bangalore is fast becoming a favoured destination for Maldivians who depend on South Indian cities for medical and other emergencies.

With direct flights opening up more South Indian cities to the islanders, the Maldives Government is now taking the first steps to ‘formalise’ its relations with the Garden City. The Maldives Government is planning to open a Honorary Consulate in Bangalore in view of the increasing presence of its nationals there. There will not be a full-fledged office, but a Honorary Consul will be appointed, sources said.

Maldives already has a full-fledged Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram, the South Indian city currently most depended upon by Maldivians particularly for medical needs.

Majority of the direct flights between India and Maldives are operated from Thiruvananthapuram, but this is fast changing with other South Indian cities also demanding their share of the pie.

The Honorary Consulate in Bangalore will be the second in South India after Chennai. Maldives strung south of Lakshadweep and comprising 20 atolls, also has Honorary Consulates in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Thiruvananthapuram has been playing host to Maldives nationals for some years now and many private hospitals extend special packages to the islanders. In fact, some hospitals in the city even sport special Maldivian dishes on their menu.

Source: newindpress.com

US to open embassy in Maldives

The United States will open an embassy in the tiny island republic of Maldives, its ambassador to the country Robert Blake said on Wednesday.

Blake told reporters at Male International Airport that arrangements are underway to have the embassy opened but did not give a specific date when the embassy will be inaugurated.

At Tuesday's ceremony to launch the United States' Virtual Presence Post in Maldives, Blake said that the embassy will have an American official and two Maldivian staff.

Blake said that the presence of an embassy in the tiny Indian Ocean island republic will help strengthen bilateral ties, facilitate Maldives' students to pursue higher education in American institutions, and provide the opportunity for multicultural exchanges as America is a diverse and dynamic multicultural society.

USAID has now contracted a company to set up two water plants, one in Lhaviyani atoll Naifaru island, the other in Hinnavaru in the same atoll. The US embassy said that each of these plants have a capacity to produce 30,000 liters of water a day.

The project is estimated to cost Rf24.41 million (about US$1.9 million) and the Singaporean contractor has to complete the project within 180 days.

Source: Haveeru