High Commissioner H.E Masood Imad met with General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka, at the Office of the CDS today.

            High Commissioner Masood Imad and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Silva recalled the historical and close bonds between the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and the strong people to people relations between the two countries.

High Commissioner Masood Imad thanked, the Government of Sri Lanka and the armed forces for the long-standing support extended to the Maldives National Defence Force in training and capacity building. High Commissioner Masood Imad also recounted the successful training of the MNDF Special Forces, and the Bomb and Improvised Explosive Device Disposal Training conducted in Maldives. Chief of Defence Staff General Shavendra Silva highlighted the decades-long training support extended to Maldives,and stated that Sri Lanka will continue to provide the necessary training support for the defence force of Maldives.

High Commissioner Masood Imad was accompanied by Fathimath Ghina, Deputy High Commissioner and Colonel Hassan Amir, Defence Advisor of the Maldives in Sri Lanka.

In the meeting, High Commissioner Masood Imad thanked the Minister, and the government of Sri Lanka, as well as the armed forces for the long-standing support extended to the Maldives National Defence Force in training and capacity building.

State Minister Tennakoon stated that Sri Lanka always stood ready to provide the required training assistance to Maldives National Defence Force. State Minister Tennakoon further stated that Sri Lanka highly valued Maldives’ role in promoting regional security and addressing common threats. Both officials also discussed the rapidly evolving security landscape, and the need for countries to work together to tackle common threats and challenges such as environmental issues and natural / manmade disasters, violent extremism and terrorism, as well as maritime issues such as illegal and unregulated fisheries.

High Commissioner Masood Imad  was accompanied by Colonel Hassan Amir, Defence Advisor of Maldives in Sri Lanka, and Ms. Aminath Warudha, Second Secretary Bilateral at the High Commission of Maldives in Sri Lanka

High Commissioner of Maldives to Sri Lanka H.E Masood Imad met with Rear Admiral Dhammika Kumara, Vice Chancellor of Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. The meeting took place at KDU on 11 July 2024.

            High Commissioner Masood Imad thanked Rear Admiral Dhammika Kumara for the invaluable contribution rendered by KDU in educating and training officers of the Maldives National Defence Force, and more recently, day scholars from Maldives. H.E Masood Imad remarked that KDU has now become a very attractive option for Maldivian students, especially for the MBBS courses. Both officials also discussed avenues to promote KDU in the Maldives and increase enrollment in other programs.

            Following the meeting with the Vice Chancellor, H.E Masood Imad interacted with the Maldivian officer cadets and day scholars studying at KDU. H.E Masood inquired about their wellbeing and encouraged them to focus diligently on their studies. After the event, H.E Masood and the delegation from the High Commission of Maldives toured the KDU Hospital.

            High Commissioner Masood Imad was accompanied by Ms. Haleemath Shizna, Minister Counsellor, Colonel Hassan Amir, Defence Advisor of Maldives in Sri Lanka, Mr. Ahmed Azim, First Secretary and Ms. Aminath Warudha, Second Secretary at the High Commission of Maldives.