Government of Maldives signs Memorandum of Agreement on Aviation Security Cooperation with the US Government

21 February 2019

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Aviation Cooperation with the Government of the United States of America today. Ms. Alina Romanowski, Principal Deputy Coordinator on Counter-terrorism at the US Department of State, signed the Agreement on behalf of the US government.

While, speaking at the ceremony held at the US Department of State this morning, Minister Shahid stated that terrorism is a global issue and stressed on the importance of International cooperation to effectively combat terrorism. He thanked the US government for the cooperation initiatives in this regard and expressed hope for stronger collaborations in the future. In her remarks, Ms. Romanowski highlighted the elements in the Agreement and reflected on the importance of the collaboration with the Maldives.

The Agreement aims to strengthen the capabilities of the Maldives law enforcement bodies to combat terrorism and to ensure the broader safety of Maldivians and the foreign visitors to the Maldives. In addition to providing the necessary training to the law enforcement bodies, this Agreement would facilitate the establishment of an explosives detection canine unit at Velana International Airport and embed an Aviation Security Advisor at the Airport.

ENDS