Britain supports the Maldives

British officials from Colombo yesterday concluded a visit to Malé, part of the UK's ongoing close engagement with the Maldives.

Second Secretary, Political and Public Diplomacy, Dominic Williams MBE; British Council Director, Tony Reilly OBE; and BHC Maldives Political Officer, Shahla Ali, visited to interview applicants for the prestigious Chevening scholarship programme.

Each year, the British government awards fully funded scholarships to post-graduate students from across the world. Many Maldivian Chevening Alumni have gone on to hold important positions.

Commenting on the visit, Dominic Williams said: "It is always a pleasure to meet the bright and enthusiastic students who apply to the Chevening scheme. This year the quality of the applicants was once again very high. Their energy and drive in many ways captures and reflects the optimism and ambition inspired by the Maldivian transition to democracy. I am sure that all the applicants will go on to make a significant contribution to their country.

The visit also gave me an opportunity to catch up with a range of government, parliamentary, civil society and media contacts. The Maldives is an important partner for the UK and we visit regularly from Colombo to support our joint work on shared priorities.

This year, the British government has substantially increased its funding to support the Maldives' transition to democracy. During the visit, we were able to discuss ideas with a range of partners on how best to use this money to help consolidate the Maldivian success story."

During the visit, BHC officials had a range of meetings including with the Maldivian Foreign Minister Naseem; officials from the Foreign Ministry and the President's Office; the Speaker of the Majlis; officials from the Attorney General's Department; parliamentarians; media personnel; civil society representatives; and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives.

The British High Commission has visited the Maldives every month of 2011. Most recently, the British High Commissioner to the Maldives, John Rankin, visited the islands on an official tour with his counterparts from other EU missions based in Colombo.