The US has reaffirmed its commitment to partner with the Maldives to promote a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, a senior US State Department official has said, at a time when the island nation in the Indian Ocean is moving closer to China.
The message was given when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer in Washington DC on Tuesday.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Secretary Blinken reaffirmed the US commitment to partnering with the Maldives to promote a free, open, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region.
Since Maldives leader Mohamed Muizzu, known for his pro-China stance, took over as president in November last year, the country has strengthened ties with Beijing and signed several bilateral agreements, including a defence cooperation pact.
Blinken’s reference to the Indo-Pacific region is also significant as China strongly opposes the involvement of the US and other countries in the region, where Beijing has major maritime territorial disputes with countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam.
Blinken highlighted the US’ donation of eight patrol boats to the Maldives and its plan to work with Congress to provide $2 million in hydrographic assistance to help the country mitigate the effects of rising sea levels, Miller said in a statement.
It said Blinken and Zameer discussed additional opportunities to enhance cooperation on the climate crisis, economic growth, maritime security, and other bilateral priorities.
The Foreign Ministry in Male said Zameer and Blinken discussed other issues in areas such as defence and security cooperation, commitment to economic development and adaptation to climate change, and expressed their commitment to regional stability and maritime security.
“Met with Maldives Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer to enhance US-Maldives partnership and cooperation on climate, economic development, and maritime security,” Blinken posted on his X handle along with photos of the meeting.
Echoing almost the same sentiment, Zameer posted on his X handle, “I was delighted to meet the US Secretary of State, Hon. @SecBlinken today. I reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen the partnership between the Maldives and the US to combat climate change, promote democracy, and cooperate on maritime security.”
A statement issued by the Maldives Foreign Ministry said that Maldives and the US reaffirmed their commitment to explore new avenues “to strengthen the partnership” and acknowledged the importance of maintaining the rules-based international order and expressed their commitment to promoting regional stability, maritime security and peace.
“Secretary Blinken congratulated the Maldives on its successful presidential and parliamentary elections and commended the Maldives for its leadership on the international stage in addressing climate change and promoting environmental sustainability,” the statement said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Zameer met U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power, news portal Sun.mv reported.
“The two discussed various topics related to economic progress and environmental protection, as well as strengthening Maldives’ ties with the agency’s assistance,” Edition.mv said.
According to Sun.mv, Zameer left for Washington on Sunday night. The Foreign Ministry said the visit was aimed at “further strengthening the Maldives-US partnership and reaffirming commitment to multilateralism.”
According to media reports, Zameer will also visit New York, where he will meet UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Li Junhua.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)