U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is visiting four countries in the Indo-Pacific region, arrived in the Maldives on October 28 and met with Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. After the meeting, Pompeo announced that during his talks with Solih, he offered to open a U.S. embassy in the country on behalf of the U.S. and looked forward to enhancing the partnership between the two countries.
Pompeo, who just concluded a visit to Sri Lanka, arrived in the Maldives on Wednesday and is visiting the country. He is the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the Maldives in nearly 30 years, since the United States and the Maldives established diplomatic relations in 1966. Pompeo tweeted after the plane landed, “Pleased to be the first secretary of state to visit the Maldives in nearly three decades. I look forward to strengthening the U.S.-Malaysia relationship and discussing our mutual interests in a free, open, rules-based #IndoPacific region.”
According to Pompeo, “Great meeting with President Saleh. In Male. I made a historic announcement about our plans to open the U.S. Embassy in the Maldives. We highly value our friendship with the people of the Maldives and look forward to taking our partnership to the next level.” Saleh also tweeted, “Had a very enjoyable discussion with Secretary Pompeo to promote cooperation between the Maldives and the United States, from trade and investment to maritime security to combating terrorism and climate crisis situations. Looking forward to further developing the Maldives-U.S. relationship in the coming months and years.” The Maldives is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, with Sri Lanka 675 kilometers to the northeast and the Indian island of Minicoy about 113 kilometers to the north, and the Straits of Equator and One-and-a-half degrees to the south of the Maldives serving as a major sea transportation route.
The U.S. State Department issued a separate statement under Pompeo’s signature saying, “I am pleased to announce the intention of the United States to establish an embassy and ambassadorial presence in the Maldives, reflecting the continued growth of the U.S.-Malaysia relationship and underscoring the strong commitment of the United States to the Maldives and the Indo-Pacific region.” He stated, ” In the decades since the United States and the Maldives first established diplomatic relations in 1966, our two countries have expanded cooperation on issues such as strengthening maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, incentivizing the private sector, and combating terrorism. With U.S. support, the Maldives has made great strides in recent years in supporting democratic institutions and building a free and open society for the benefit of all its citizens.” He continued, “Our decision to open an embassy in the Maldives is a welcome milestone in our relationship, and we look forward to increased cooperation between our two countries in the years to come.”
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