The Maldives and the European Union have concurred on the need to enhance security cooperation, especially in areas of counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism, and agreed to explore avenues and expand the partnership, including through a new project focused on increasing security in the Maldives.
This was agreed upon at the 3rd Senior Officials Meeting between the Maldives and the EU which was held in Male' yesterday.
In a statement, the EU said that this meeting re-affirmed the positive and growing momentum in the relations between the two sides over the past years.
It said that the Maldives and the European Union re-confirmed their strong mutual interest in further strengthening their bilateral relations, rooted in shared values and commitments, the principles of the UN Charter and international law, and to further deepening the engagement, including through the implementation of the EU Strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
The EU welcomed the Government of Maldives’ commitment towards consolidation of democratic governance, strengthening the rule of law and fighting corruption, promoting and protecting human rights, and implementing reforms in the justice sector. The EU reaffirmed its continued strong support of the Maldives’ endeavors and the importance of these reforms being implemented.
At the meeting, the Maldives and the EU concurred on the need to enhance security cooperation, especially in areas of counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism, and agreed to explore avenues and expand the partnership, including through a new project focused on increasing security in the Maldives.
As partners in trade and investment, both the Maldives and the EU agreed to enhance economic cooperation through mechanisms such as the Business Roundtable initiative.
The EU and the Maldives reaffirmed their commitment to the global fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and look forward to strengthening their bilateral partnership in this domain. Sustainable management of fish stocks through the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission was discussed.
