The Maldives’ Foreign Minister Ahmed Naseem visited Israel from May 16-20, 2011. He is the first foreign minister of Maldives to visit Israel.1 Speaking during his call on Palestinian President Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, Minister Naseem welcomed the joint efforts by Hamas and Fathaha in working towards the establishment of a sovereign state of Palestine, and noted that the Maldives would work alongside Palestine and would actively lobby for a UNGA Resolution in the upcoming September session. During the meeting Minister Naseem also delivered a letter from President Mohamed Nasheed to Palestinian President Abbas. During his visit, Minister Naseem also signed an MoU on “Protocol on Political Consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine”.2

• 1. “Ahmed Naseem first Maldivian Foreign Minister to visit Israel”, Minivan News, May 18, 2011 at http://minivannews.com/category/news-in-brief
• 2. “Maldives to support the establishment of a sovereign Palestine state, says Foreign Minister”, The Haama Daily, May 19, 2011 at http://www.haamadaily.com/englishdetails.php?news=22702.