New UK High Commissioner, Vietnamese Ambassador present credentials

The new British High Commissioner to the Maldives, John Rankin, has presented his credentials to President Mohamed Nasheed.

During the ceremony, Nasheed thanked the High Commissioner for the UK’s assistance in introducing and consolidating democracy in the Maldives, and discussed the political and economic situation in the country.

Nasheed also raised the struggle for democracy in Egypt, and called on Western countries to support rather than fear the forces of democracy in Muslim countries.

Rankin succeeds Dr Peter Hayes at the UK’s High Commission in Colombo. He has served as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Dublin, working on the Northern Ireland peace process, and was Her Majesty’s Consul General in Boston between 2003 and 2007.

The new Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Thanh Tan also presented his credentials to President Nasheed.

The pair discussed the potential to increase cooperation between the Maldives and Vietnam, such as expanding the local aquaculture industry.