Germany closes Honorary Consul office in Maldives, emergency assistance moves to Colombo

The Office of the Honorary Consul of Germany in the Maldives has been closed, according to a notice published on the website of the German Embassy in Sri Lanka. The notice said the office had been closed indefinitely, but did not mention a specific reason for the closure. It added that a German national residing in the Maldives who needs assistance in an emergency will now have to seek the assistance of the embassy in Colombo. Germany is one of the five countries from which the most tourists come to the Maldives. Last year alone, 167,822 tourists from Germany visited the Maldives. German nationals also make up 7.5 percent of the tourists who visit the Maldives each year. Separately, Dr. Felix Neumann, the new ambassador appointed by the Federal Republic of Germany to the Maldives, arrived at the President's Office on Saturday.