“Economic and commercial relations are the top priority,” Foreign Minister

Monday, April 6th, 2009

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed today concluded a three-day official visit to Kazakhstan. The purpose of the visit was to develop close bilateral ties with Kazakhstan, particularly in the fields of tourism and investment in the Maldives, and to brief the government on potential for investing in the Maldives.

The Minister arrived in Kazakhstan on 2 April 2009 and was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Dr. Marat Tahzin, the State Secretary, Mr. Kanat Saudabayev, the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov, and the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Askar Batalov. During the visit, both sides expressed a strong desire to forge a close bilateral relationship and to increase collaboration in the fields of tourism and investment in the Maldives. The discussions included the accreditation of non-resident ambassadors, the appointment of honorary consuls, the negotiation of bilateral agreements on investment promotion and cultural co-operation, better facilitation of tourism, potential investments in the Maldives, and closer collaboration in multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

“The top priority of the Maldives is economic and commercial relations, and that is why I have included Qatar, Libya and Kazakhstan on my itinerary; I found a lot of enthusiasm in the top echelons of Kazakhstan to develop closer relations with the Maldives, especially in the field of tourism and investment, and I am confident that the visit has paved the way for meaningful follow-up activities in both these fields,” the Minister said before departure to London at end of his three-day visit to Astana. Dr. Hussain Niyaz, Executive Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accompanied the Minister on the visit.

Qatar, Libya and Kazakhstan were among the many who participated at a very high level at the recently concluded Maldives Partnership Forum.

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