His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received the President of the Republic of Maldives, HE Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and his accompanying delegation, at the Gudaibiya Palace today.
Upon arrival at the Gudaibiya Place, an official reception was held for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and the national anthems of the two countries were played.
HM King Hamad held a meeting with the Maldivian President, in the presence of the delegations of the two countries.
The two leaders reviewed the solid friendship relations between the two countries, ways to bolster joint cooperation at all levels, as well as the latest regional and global political developments.
HM King Hamad welcomed the kingdom’s distinguished guest, expressing hope that his visit would enhance the strong ties between the two friendly countries and open up wider horizons of joint action to achieve their common interests.
The Maldivian President expressed thanks and appreciation to HM King Hamad for the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to him, expressing delight at visiting the Kingdom of Bahrain and meeting HM the King.
HM the King and President Solih reviewed the good relations and opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, especially in the economic, commercial, investment, tourism and cultural fields, as well as future prospects for strengthening them further.
HM King Hamad affirmed Bahrain’s keenness to extend bridges of cooperation and strengthen friendship ties with the Maldives to achieve the aspirations of the leaderships of the two countries and serve the interests of their friendly peoples.
They affirmed their shared keenness to consolidate and develop bilateral relations in various vital fields and other aspects of bilateral cooperation.
They also exchanged views vis-à-vis issues of common interest at the regional and international levels.
Then, HM King Hamad and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih attended the signing of the following memoranda of understanding between the two countries:
1. An MoU for political consultations between Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Maldivian counterpart.
Signed by Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, and his Maldivian counterpart, Dr. Abdulla Shahid, the MoU aims to strengthen friendly relations and cooperation between the two ministries, in addition to exchanging views at various levels on issues related to bilateral relations and international issues of common interest.
2- An MoU on diplomatic training and information exchange between the Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomatic Studies in Bahrain and the Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.
Signed by the two countries’ foreign ministers, the MoU aims to establish and develop mutually beneficial cooperation to train diplomats in the field of diplomacy and exchange information on international law, diplomatic law and other academic disciplines related to the practice of diplomatic and international relations.
3- An MoU on climate change between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of the Republic of Maldives.
Signed by the Sustainable Development Minister, Noor bint Ali Al-Khulaif, and the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Maldives, Dr. Abdulla Shahid, the MoU aims to enhance cooperation on environmental issues, particularly on adaptation to climate change, and to recognise similar threats posed by climate change to both countries as developing small island states.
4- An MoU on cooperation in the field of youth and sports development between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of the Republic of Maldives.
Signed by Bahrain’s Youth and Sports Affairs Minister, Ayman bin Tawfiq Al-Moayyed, and the Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Minister, Ahmed Mahloof, in the Maldives, the MoU aims to strengthen and develop friendly relations in the field of youth and sports development between the two countries, while adhering to the national legislation and general systems applied in both countries.
Then, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani, handed over the Maldives delegation a certificate, declaring the Republic of the Maldives as a partner to the Bahrain Global Sea-to-Air Logistics Hub.
The Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, also handed over his Maldivian counterpart a certificate granting the Republic of the Maldives the right of sovereignty over the information of its subscribers in the cloud computing centres located in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
HM King Hamad and the Maldivian President praised the signing of the MoUs, noting that they will contribute to enhancing cooperation between the two friendly countries.
HM King Hamad then hosted a lunch banquet in honour of the President of the Maldives and his accompanying delegation.
A convoy of honour, led by Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, was formed to accompany the Maldivian President during his visit to the kingdom.
