Van Hollen, Shaheen Mark the Maldives' 60th Anniversary of Independence

Today, U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement marking the 60thAnniversary of the Maldives’ independence:

“Today, we commemorate the Maldives’ 60thanniversary of independence. The United States was the first country to nominate an Ambassador to the Maldives, following their independence in 1965. Since then, we have built a strong bilateral relationship, collaborating on defense, counterterrorism, trade, environmental conservation, and creating people-to-people ties. Our shared priorities of promoting democracy and ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region undergird our partnership, which has continued to grow with the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Malé and the arrival of our first fully dedicated U.S. Ambassador to the Maldives in 2023. As our two countries approach 60 years of diplomatic relations, we look forward to continuing to build on the strong U.S.-Maldives partnership to advance our shared goals and values.”