President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday has highlighted his efforts to keep the unity in the country. 

Speaking at a ceremony held in Meemu Atoll Kolhufushi to mark National Unity Day, President Solih stated that he worked hard every day to encourage national harmony and solidarity amongst the people. 

President Solih described the period before he took office as one of discord, strife, and instability in which political figures were actively working to undermine our unity, peace, and harmony. He stated that after taking office, encouraging unity, bringing people together, and rekindling familial and societal ties will be his main responsibilities.

The President also reflected on the tsunami's destruction in 2004 and the lives it claimed. He described his own experience of that awful day while recalling the unity and solidarity Maldivian citizens displayed in the wake of the disaster and the efforts of the security and law enforcement agencies in their reaction. He did so while crying.

National Unity Day is observed yearly on December 26 to honour the powerful unity shown in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami's devastation and to remember the lives lost on that tragic day.