BD, Maldives sign MoUs for further cooperation in tourism, trade

Dhaka: Bangladesh and the Maldives have signed four Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) on March 18 to boost cooperation between the two countries in different areas including tourism and trade.

The MoUs were signed at the Prime Minister's Office in the capital in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the signing ceremony.

The MoUs are – MoU on joint commission for comprehensive cooperation (JCC), MoU on bilateral foreign office consultations (FOC), MoU on cooperation in the field of fisheries and pelagic fishing and MoU on cultural exchange programme (CEP) for 2022-2025.

The signing ceremony was held following the bilateral talks between the two sides led by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Maldivian president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the PMO.

The MoU on joint commission for comprehensive cooperation (JCC) was signed by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and the Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid.

The MoU on bilateral foreign office consultations (FOC) has been signed by Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed.

The MoU on cooperation in the field of fisheries and pelagic fishing was signed by Bangladesh Fisheries and Livestock Minister SM Rezaul Karim and Minister of Economic Development of the Maldives Fayyaz Ismail.

The MoU on cultural exchange programme (CEP) for 2022-2025 was signed by State Minister for Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh KM Khalid and the Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid.

Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrived in Dhaka on March 17 to attend the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the country's independence.

The Maldives, an island country and a major tourist destination of the world, is home to some 100,000 Bangladeshis. The two countries have a limited scale of trading too, but there are enormous scopes for boosting it, officials said.

Foreign ministry officials said Bangladesh and Maldives signed two MoUs during the visit of Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid in February this year.

One was on cooperation on training foreign services officials and the other on human resources recruitment from Bangladesh. The latest meeting against that backdrop is likely to further cement the relations, said officials.