Foreign Minister calls on countries to band together against pandemic

Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid has called on countries to band together to fight and overcome the pandemic COVID-19.

Speaking in a video conference meeting of the Non-Allied Movement’s COVID-19 Response Contact Group, Minister Shahid took part in the discussions between countries regarding the challenges faced in tackling the pandemic virus.

Representing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the meeting, Minister Shahid said that multi-lateral policies on overcoming the health and economic challenges of COVID-19 were discussed at the meeting under the motto “United against COVID-19”.

The Minister also shared information regarding the measures implemented in the Maldives to prevent the virus and also highlighted the economic plight of the country due to the situation with the virus. 

He noted that since the Maldives was an island nation that is dependent on one sector, the country was heavily impacted by the tremors faced by the world economy. Minister Shahid stated that the country’s income had dried up due to the standstill that the tourism industry is currently at.

He called on the countries of Non-Allied Movement to come together and assist each other bringing these challenges to the attention of the international community. He noted the importance of deferring debt payments by countries during this delicate situation.

The Minister stated his hope that the Non-Allied Movement countries would play a huge role in securing long-term aid from bigger countries and noted importance of cooperation. The Minister also thanked the assistance and help of countries in the South Asia region to the Maldives during this pandemic.

The meeting saw a decision made to form a task of the Non-Allied Movement, something that the Minister welcomed. The task force was formed to source assistance and aid of necessary equipment from international institutions and private well-wishers. 

Minister Shahid also recognized the important work of the World Health Organization during this pandemic and stated that the organization had the full support of the Maldives.

The Non-Allied Movement is one of the biggest such organizations that exist in the world after the United Nations and has 120 member states. The Maldives joined the movement on August 15, 1976.