The United States will always support Maldives efforts to maintain its independence and nationality, US Ambassador Hugo Yon has said.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the one-year anniversary of the opening of the US Embassy in Maldives, he said the relationship between the two countries is based on democracy and freedom and security of Maldives.

"The United States will always support Maldives' efforts for independence and support work done as allies. One reason that the US works with the Maldives is because the world's major shipping routes cross the territories of Maldives," he said.

Yon thanked the people of Maldives for their role in maritime safety.

He said the most important thing to build relations between the two countries in the future is to strengthen people-to-people connections. The Ambassador repeatedly noted the extent to which the world economy depends on Maldivian seas.

The United States established an embassy in Maldives and appointed an ambassador to Maldives for the first time in September 2023. Maldives established diplomatic relations with the United States in 1965.

The current government seeks to maintain closer ties with the United States and this has led to criticism from some members of the public.