US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived in the Maldives this afternoon amid his tour of South Asia.
He is the most senior American administration official to visit the Maldives since then-Secretary of State James Baker’s visit to the country in 1992.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid welcomed Secretary of State Pompeo at Velaanaa International Airport.
He is now meeting with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and will have official talks with Minister Shahid later today. Both the officials are expected to make a press statement around 4 pm in the evening.
The Foreign Ministry noted that This visit presents significant opportunities to the Maldives in terms of raising the country’s international profile and leveraging the increased attention and resources devoted to the Indo-Pacific region to help the Maldives realize it’s domestic and foreign policy priorities.
This is the third leg of Pompeo’s trip after he had visited India and Sri Lanka earlier this week.
