Male’: Saturday, 28 June

President Gayoom received Mr. Hosei Norota, President of the Japan-Maldives Parliamentarians’ League at the Presidential Palace, Theemuge, today. At the meeting, President Gayoom expressed confidence that the Japan-Maldives Parliamentarians’ League would contribute to further strengthening of the cordial relationship between the Maldives and Japan, as would the newly opened Embassy of Maldives in Tokyo last year. He also referred to the continued Japanese assistance to the Maldives and recalled, in particular, the cooperation and assistance in the fields of education and environment.

President Gayoom noted the adoption of the Maldives new constitution by the Constitutional Assembly on Thursday, 20 June 2008, as a great success to his reform agenda and stated that he was working on ratifying the new constitution as soon as possible.

Mr. Norota acknowledged the progress achieved in the implementation of the reform agenda of President Gayoom, and congratulated him on the adoption of the new constitution as well as on the Maldives securing  of the SAAF Championship.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Hon. Mohamed Hussain, the Japanese Ambassador to the Maldives, H. E. Mr. Kiyoshi Araki and officials of the President’s Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Norota is visiting the Maldives in his capacity as the President of the Japan-Maldives Parliamentarians’ League at the invitation of Foreign Minister, H. E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid.