The UAE has donated USD 5 million worth of essential medical supplies and equipment to the Maldives.
The donation from the UAE arrived in the Maldives on a special cargo flight. The donation includes a PCR extraction machine, 2 real-time PCR systems and 30,000 diagnostic extraction kits to be used for COVID-19 testing. The donation also includes 100,000 sanitiser bottles, 225,000 KN95 masks, 2.5 million surgical masks, 500,000 gloves, 75,000 disposable gowns with shoe covers as well as 10,000 face shields. The supplies and equipment donated by the UAE weighed over 70 tonnes.
Following the arrival of the donation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid expressed his gratitude to the government of the UAE for the generous and timely donation. He noted the UAE is an invaluable friend and partner of the Maldives, as proven on multiple occasions.
Prior to the donation of medical supplies and equipment, the UAE had signed a grant agreement in March to provide an aid of USD 50 million to the Maldives. Foreign Minister Shahid also held a telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan in April, to share information about the situation of COVID-19 in the Maldives and areas in which the country needs assistance.
The UAE has been providing assistance across different sectors to the Maldives over the last 40 years. The bilateral relations between the two countries have grown even stronger since the current administration assumed power in 2018, as indicated by the multiple official visits to the UAE by both President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.