President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has affirmed the support and commitment of the Maldivian government to strengthening the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He made the remarks during a meeting with the Secretary General of SAARC, Golam Sarwar.
Secretary General Sarwar who assumed charge as the 15th Secretary-General of the SAARC in October 2023, paid a courtesy call on President, where he briefed the President on the various programmes of SAARC being carried out to benefit member countries. He noted that the Government of Maldives has been fully committed to SAARC since its inception in 1985 and has contributed to its development.
In addition to affirming the support and commitment of the Maldives to strengthen the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, President Muizzu expressed his hope for regional cooperation in trade. Maldives is one of the founding members of SAARC, which was formally established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.
The Secretary General of SAARC arrived on an introductory visit to the Maldives on August 5. In addition to meeting the President of the Maldives, he is also scheduled to meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs Moosa Zameer and Foreign Secretary Fathimath Inaya. He is scheduled to conclude his visit and depart on August 8.