The Most Distinguished Foreign Service Medal has been awarded to two government officials.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih awarded the Most Distinguished Foreign Service Medal Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel and Foreign Secretary Ahmed Latheef on Monday.

The medals, plaques and certificates were conferred at a ceremony held at the President’s Office.

State Minister Khaleel and Foreign Secretary Latheef are stepping down after serving an extensive period in the Foreign Service.

Khaleel, who was one of the two recipients of the Most Distinguished Foreign Service Medal has provided his services in the foreign service for over 41 years and is included among the few individuals who have continuously held many positions in the field, from the most ordinary, to the highest posts.

Enlisted in the Maldivian Foreign Service on 22 December 1981, Khaleel initially worked for the Department of Immigration and Emigration as the English Secretary. Khaleel spent most of his career working for the Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Maldives to the United Nations and worked in New York for over 17 years.

Also having served as the Ambassador of the Maldives to Japan for seven years, Khaleel was appointed as the Bilateral Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 3 October 2016, followed by his promotion to State Minister at the ministry on 22 November 2018.

Over the course of his term of four years and eleven months, Khaleel has acquired many accomplishments and elevation the Maldives to new heights in the international arena.

The second recipient, Latheef commenced his career in the foreign service on 26 November 1981.

Latheef began his career as an Assistant Undersecretary at the then Ministry of External Affairs and spent many years enhancing the ties Maldives has with other nations, international organization and particularly regional groups like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) throughout his tenure in the foreign service.

Latheef, who has played a significant role in creating SAARC, also served as the Maldives’ Director of the SAARC Secretariat.

He also participated in several aspects of the SAARC Summit held in Maldives.

Other positions he filled include Director General, Assistant Executive Director, and Executive Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Latheef played a key role as Deputy High Commissioner of the Indian High Commission after a Resident Mission of the Maldives was established in New Delhi, India in 2004.

In addition to this, he was the first Ambassador appointed to China from the Maldives and also served as the Maldivian Ambassador to Germany.

The decision to confer the Most Distinguished Foreign Service Medal to the two officials was reached by the president in a bid to recognize their efforts to uphold the highest interest of the nation, strengthen its ties with other countries as well as international organizations.

The award also carries the purpose of acknowledging their important role in the assistance and cooperation received by multiple associations and organizations in Maldives.

The award also recognizes the foreign service-related assistance they provided to the citizens as well as the work they have carried out to develop the island nation’s foreign service further.

State Minister Khaleel expressed gratitude to the government for its decision to confer such an honor upon him and stated that he would have never imagined it.

Khaleel said that this was an extraordinary honor for his retirement.

Speaking at the ceremony, Foreign Secretary Latheef noted that it was a happy day for him, adding that over the course of the past 35 years in foreign service, he has never been disappointed with his decision to join the foreign service.

Latheef also shed light on his experiences in the foreign service, stating that there have been many changes in the foreign service and even then, the foreign service is still the number one element to look at when it comes to measuring the government’s progress and performance.