Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid on Wednesday met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe
During the meeting, Minister Shahid asserted Maldives' solidarity with the Sri Lankan people and discussed ways to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
According to a tweet by the foreign minister following the meeting, discussions took place on the cooperation regarding visa issues and counter terrorism measures.
Pleasure to meet PM @RW_UNP today. Assured Maldives solidarity with the people and Government of Sri Lanka. Discussed cooperation on visa issues and countering terrorism, among others. pic.twitter.com/KGaAhRrqlg
— Abdulla Shahid 🎈 (@abdulla_shahid) May 8, 2019
Minister Shahid is visiting Sri Lanka at a time where the country has decided to implement stricter residence visa regulations. According to Sri Lanka, this decision was made as a safety measure following the recent terror attacks on April 21.
Approximately 13,000 Maldivians reside in Sri Lanka for educational, medical and other purposes.
Foreign Ministry revealed that Minister Shahid is scheduled to meet with Sri Lankan Speaker of parliament Karu Jayasuriya and opposition leader Mahinda Rajapaksa during this visit.