24 April 2019, New York
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Khaleel, today affirmed the strong belief of the Maldives in multilateralism and called on countries to renew their pledge to uphold and promote the values and principles of the UN Charter. He said this while addressing at the commemorative meeting of the General Assembly, marking the first International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. ‘The very first foreign policy decision that the Maldives took after gaining independence in 1965 was to join the UN. We were convinced then, as we are now, that the common challenges that we face require solutions shaped at the global level’ he said.
In his statement to the General Assembly, Minister of State cautioned against the rise of ultra-nationalism, racial and religious prejudices, placing intense pressure on Multilateralism. ‘The “twenty- years crisis” that the world witnessed from 1919 to 1939 shows that isolationism and ultra-nationalism will inevitably lead to conflict and war’ he said. Most importantly, he highlighted that key challenges such as climate change and violent extremism and terrorism, require collective action.
Minister of State, Mr. Khaleel also condemned the recent terrorist bomb attacks in Sri Lanka and assured solidarity of the Government of Maldives to the Government and people of Sri Lanka.
