page_title: Foreign relations of the Maldives
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: Foreign relations of the Maldives / Bilateral relations / North and South America / United States
caption_attribution_description: English: Robert O. Blake in November 2007
context_page_description: The Maldives has remained an independent nation throughout its recorded history, save for a brief spell of Portuguese occupation in the mid-16th century. From 1887 to 1965, the country was a British protectorate while retaining full internal sovereignty. At its independence in 1965, the Maldives joined the United Nations on 20 September.
  Since 1978, the Maldives has followed a policy of international engagement, intensifying links with strategic partners and the international system. It joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1982. A founder member of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Maldives is also a member of the Bretton Woods system. It is also party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as well as numerous conventions on the protection of the environment, the suppression of terrorism, disarmament and on the promotion and protection of human rights.
context_section_description: The Maldives established diplomatic relations with the United States on 10 November 1965 and the two nations maintain friendly relations.
  The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, based in the U.S. embassy in Colombo, is also cross-accredited to the Maldives, and the ambassador and embassy staff make periodic visits. The United States supports Maldivian independence and territorial integrity, and publicly endorsed India's timely intervention on behalf of the Maldivian Government during the 1988 Maldives coup d'état attempt. U.S. Navy vessels have regularly called at Malé in recent years. The Maldives extended strong support to U.S. efforts to combat terrorism and terrorist financing in 2001–2002.
caption: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. in November 2007
exif: {}