Antigua and Barbuda, 27 May 2024: Ahead of the International Conference of Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) which will begin today, the President of the Republic of Seychelles, Mr Wavel Ramkalawan held bilateral talks with the President of the Republic of Maldives, Dr.Mohamed Muizzu on the margins on the conference.

President Ramkalawan and President Muizzu highlighted the excellent relations that exist between Seychelles and the Maldives and how importantit was for the two island nations to agree and address the real concerns that are affecting island states like Seychelles and the Maldives.

“Since July 1980, our two nations have engaged in a vast array of areas of cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral levels. It was an honour to visit your country in June last year, and our meeting today is the ideal occasion to assess what we have accomplished thus far and reinforce our efforts to ensure successful implementation. I look forward to working closely with you to build further on the existing partnership between our two countries” said President Ramkalawan.

His Excellency, Dr. Muizzu expressed his honour to once again meet President Ramkalawan whilst stressing on the very good relations that exist between the two islands and peoples. The Maldivian Head of State also conveyed his country’s interest to strengthen diplomatic ties with Seychelles in expanding upon existing diplomatic ties and exploring new avenues. 

During discussions the two Heads of State, discussed various areas where the two nations can continue to strengthen diplomatic relations primarily in domains such as tourism, air connectivity, environment protection, capacity building and exchange of best practices as well as maritime security.

The climate crisis remains top on the agenda of discussions between the two countries where both nations seek to continue to use international platforms to call for greater global solidarity towards the socio-economic, political, security and ecological plight of SIDS. Other topics such as the rise in sea level, coral bleaching and exchange of technical expertise were also addressed.