President Ranil Wickremesinghe returned to Sri Lanka on 18 November, following a successful 2 day official visit to Maldives from 16 to 18 November, to attend the Inauguration ceremony of the newly elected President of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
President Wickremesinghe, accompanied by the First Lady, Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe, were accorded an Honour Guard on arrival at the Velana International Airport on 16 November and received by the Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid and the Foreign Minister-designate of the new Government, Moosa Zameer.
Shortly after arrival, President Wickremesinghe held a bilateral meeting with the outgoing Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the President’s Office in Malé and thanked the Maldivian government for the support extended to Sri Lanka at all times, especially during the recent economic crisis.
Meanwhile, First Lady, Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe paid a separate call on the outgoing First Lady of Maldives Fazna Ahmed at the President’s Office.
On 17 November, President Wickremesinghe and the First Lady attended the Inauguration ceremony of President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu at a special Session of the People’s Majlis (Parliament) convened at the Republic Square in Malé. This ceremony was attended by a large number of foreign delegations. On arrival at the venue, the President was received by the Speaker of the People’s Majlis Mohamed Aslam.
In the same evening, the new President of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizzu hosted a State Banquet, which was attended by President Wickremesinghe and the First Lady.
Thereafter, President Wickremesinghe and the Maldivian President Dr. Muizzu held official bilateral talks attended by senior officials from both sides. During their discussion, both leaders pledged to strengthen and expand the existing close and cordial bilateral relations in a number of areas of mutual interest, especially focusing on education and economic cooperation.
President Wickremesinghe thanked the Maldivian Government and the people for the warm hospitality and courtesies extended to him and the Sri Lankan delegation during their visit. President Wickremesighe extended an invitation to the Maldivian President Dr. Muizzu to visit Sri Lanka, which the latter graciously accepted.
On the sidelines of the visit, Minister of Earth Sciences of India Shri Kiren Rijiju, and Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power called on President Wickremesinghe and held discussions on matters of mutual interest.
High Commission of Sri Lanka to Maldives
Malé
21 November 2023
