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High level dignitaries from 46 countries to attend the Official Inauguration Ceremony of the President and Vice President

16 November 2018

Over three hundred foreign dignitaries from forty six countries are expected to attend the Official Inauguration Ceremony of the President and the Vice President of the Maldives. The inauguration ceremony will be held on Saturday, 17 November 2018 in the National Stadium in Male’.

Among the high-level dignitaries attending the ceremony include the Prime Minister of India, H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, who is scheduled to arrive in the Maldives on the day of the inauguration ceremony. This will be the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to the Maldives.

Some of the high-level dignitaries expected to attend the ceremony are;

- H.E. Madam Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Former Head of State of Sri Lanka
- His Royal Highness Prince Dr. Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdul Aziz Alsaud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Alsaud of Saudi Arabia 
- His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Son of the Crown Prince of the UAE
- H.E. Mr. Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani, Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
- Hon. Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka
- Hon. Faiszer Mustapha, Minister of Provincial Councils, Local Government and Sports of Sri Lanka
- H.E. Dr. Riad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine
- H.E. Mr Luo Shugang, Minister of Culture and Tourism as Special Envoy of the President of China
- Hon. Mr. Wataru Takeshita, Member of House of Representatives of Japan as Special Envoy of the Prime Minister of Japan
- Her Excellency Mounia Boucetta, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation as Special Envoy of the King of Morocco
- H.E. Mr. Mohamed Afif, Secretary of State Cabinet Affairs of Seychelles
- H.E. Mr. Yavuz Selim Kiran, Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey, as Special Envoy of the President of Turkey
- Ambassador Zoran Vujic, Political Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Special Envoy of the President of Serbia
- Mr. Jean-Christophe Belliard, Deputy Secretary-General of the European Union External Action Service
- Mr. Martin Chungong, Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
- H.E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

In addition, several Ambassadors, senior government officials and business leaders from different countries are expected to attend the ceremony.

During their visit, several dignitaries will be paying Courtesy Calls on the President and are expected to attend an Official Reception, to be held in Kurumba Maldives on 17 November 2018.

ENDS