Embassy of Maldives in China

A Biographical Note

• His Excellency Mr. Ahmed Latheef is a long-serving career diplomat who has been in Beijing since August 2007. Ambassador Latheef was appointed as the first Ambassador of his country to China on 3 December 2007, while he was serving as the Head of Mission, at the rank of Minister Counsellor of the newly established Embassy of Maldives in China.

  Earlier, in his capacity as the Deputy High Commissioner of Maldives in India from November 2004 to August 2007, he had also played a significant and pioneering role in setting up the first resident mission in India and contributed immensely to consolidate the close and friendly relations between India and the Maldives.

  Ambassador Latheef began his Foreign Service career in 1981 as an Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He completed Foreign Service training in India with the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) Officers in 1982 and further training in Berlin, Germany in 1989.

  Ambassador Latheef’s career in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since 1983 was largely in the area of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, more particularly dealing with South Asian regional cooperation. Since its formative days he worked in the SAARC Division, and has attended all major SAARC meetings during 1985 to 1997. He has also attended meetings of the UN, Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth.

  Ambassador Latheef served at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu, Nepal from 1993 to 1997 as the Director from the Maldives, and after he returned to Maldives he headed the Department of External Resources of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1997 to 2003 as the Director-General of External Resources, during which period he was responsible for mobilizing and coordinating all bilateral assistance to the Maldives and multilateral assistance from UN agencies. Ambassador Latheef also worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Director-General, Foreign Relations from 2003-2004.

  Ambassador Latheef also held the post of Alternate Governor from Maldives to the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) from 1998 to 2003 during which period he had attended all the meetings of the Board of Governors of the Bank.

  Ambassador Latheef is an avid sportsman who had represented his country in table tennis on a number of occasions; the first being in China in 1973. He is also a talented tennis player and holds the unique distinction of becoming the first Maldivian to win an international tennis trophy, by becoming the All Nepal Veterans Tennis Champion in Kathmandu in 1996. Ambassador Latheef was also a gifted cricket player who represented his country in India in the 80s.

  After retiring from professional sports, Ambassador Latheef took up the responsibility of managing the Table Tennis Association of Maldives in addition to his diplomatic responsibilities. He held the post of President of the Association from 1999 until 2004.

  Ambassador Latheef is married to Mrs. Fazeena Ahmed Didi and they have two children, Mifzal Ahmed and Mizna Ahmed.