Austrian Ambassador accredited to the Maldives Ferdinand Maultaschl has paid a courtesy call on President Mohamed Nasheed today.

During the meeting held at the President’s Office in the afternoon, the President spoke on the challenges in the Maldives with regard to consolidating democracy and promoting human rights values.

At the meeting, the President also spoke on increasing business engagements between the Maldives and Austria in the tourism industry.

The President also highlighted the importance of cultural exchange programs and classical music to enhance the knowledge, awareness and experiences of local school children.

The Ambassador praised government’s efforts to consolidate democracy and shared his views on conducting western classical music recitals and performances in the Maldives.

The meeting was attended by Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed, National Security Advisor Ameen Faisal, and Foreign Policy Advisor Dr Ahmed Shaheed.