Maldivian President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has met with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, in Tokyo as part of the President’s ongoing official visit to Japan.

During the meeting, the President extended his heartfelt gratitude to Japan’s government and people for all that it has done for the Maldives over the years.

The two leaders conversed on how best to forward bilateral relations between Maldives and Japan by building on the fruitful history of constructive engagement between the two countries.

While the President conveyed his congratulations to Emperor Naruhito for his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, he also relayed his deepest sympathies for those affected by Typhoon Hagibis which devastated the Kantō region of Japan last week.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the President wished Prime Minister Abe well in fulfilling his duties to the Japanese people which the Prime Minister reciprocated in turn.

President Solih invited the PM to undertake a visit to the Maldives.

Japan continues to be the single largest aid donor to the Maldives, helping the country progress in infrastructural development and virtually all socio-economic spheres: from health to education, to climate-resilience and environmental conservation. Alongside the national development efforts of the Maldives, Japanese aid has been crucial in bolstering the Maldives’ successful graduation from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) to Middle-Income Countries (MICs) status in 2011.