A U.S. official met with Mohamed Muizou and other senior officials to discuss shared priorities.
Washington:
The United States said on Thursday that the Maldives is an important partner in ensuring a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region and is committed to strengthening cooperation with the South Asian island nation.
Donald Lew, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, was in the Maldives recently for talks with the new Maldivian leadership and civil society.
Asked about the Assistant Secretary’s visit from January 29 to 31, a US State Department spokesperson told PTI: “The United States is committed to strengthening cooperation with the Maldives, an important partner in ensuring a free, open, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region .”
During his stay in Male, he met with Mohamed Muizou and other senior officials one after another to discuss common priorities, including defense cooperation, economic growth and democratic governance.
“They also discussed progress on opening a U.S. Embassy in the Maldives, which will further strengthen our partnership and people-to-people ties,” the spokesperson said.
Lu also met with members of civil society and higher education officials to discuss democratic governance and transparency in the Maldives, the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund said after completing its Article 4 mission to the Maldives that the South Asian country’s post-pandemic growth was strong but has recently returned to normal.
As tourist numbers are expected to increase further, growth is expected to be 5.2% in 2024. Nonetheless, fiscal and external vulnerabilities have increased, requiring urgent policy adjustments.
An IMF delegation led by Piyaporn Sodsriwiboon visited Male’ from January 23 to February 6 to discuss recent economic developments, prospects and national policy priorities in the context of the 2024 Article IV consultations.
“The Maldivian economy grew by 13.9% in 2022 and is expected to grow by 4.4% in 2023, following the economic contraction caused by the pandemic. Growth is expected to reach 5.2% in 2024 as tourist arrivals are expected to increase further. Velana Airport Terminal Sodsriwiboon said: “Expansion and related increases in hotel accommodation capacity are expected to enhance growth potential. However, uncertainty about the outlook remains high and risks are tilted to the downside, requiring urgent policy adjustments. ”
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