President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has said the Maldives and Pakistan are ready to take their bilateral relations to a new level as the two countries mark 60 years of diplomatic ties.
President Muizzu made the remarks in a joint statement with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today, following bilateral talks and the signing of 20 MoUs during his state visit to Pakistan.
The President said the discussions had opened up new opportunities for cooperation and expressed confidence that closer ties would benefit the people of both countries.
“What convinced me was that the two countries opened up more opportunities for further cooperation. I felt confident that we could work for the benefit of the people of both countries,” President Muizzu said.
He described the talks with Sharif as productive and said both countries were committed to strengthening their relationship.
The 20 agreements cover areas including healthcare, education, fisheries, agriculture, youth development, defence and policing.
President Muizzu said the priority now was to translate the agreements into tangible results.
“The message we get from these MoUs is very clear. These are opportunities for the two countries to strengthen their relations in various fields. But the only way for agreements to work is to produce results. So our next step is to put these agreements into practice for mutual benefit,” he said.
The two countries have also agreed to increase bilateral trade from USD 13 million to USD 200 million within the next two years, President Muizzu said. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation in tourism and trade.
He highlighted an agreement to resume direct air services between the Maldives and Pakistan, saying it would create opportunities to promote tourism in the Maldives.
President Muizzu also said he had discussed the development of halal tourism in the Maldives with Sharif.
Pakistan has further agreed to expand higher education opportunities for Pakistani youth, the President said.
President Muizzu’s visit is the first by a Maldivian President to Pakistan in a decade. The previous presidential visits were made by Abdulla Yameen in 2015 and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
The visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Maldives and Pakistan, established on 26 July 1966.
