President Calls for Expanded Bangladesh-Maldives Cooperation in Trade and Investment

President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday called for expanding cooperation between Bangladesh and the Maldives in trade, investment, employment, tourism, fisheries and fisheries resource management to strengthen the longstanding friendly relations between the two countries.

“Bangladesh and the Maldives have longstanding friendly relations, with significant opportunities to further advance bilateral ties based on mutual trust, goodwill and shared interests,” the President said.

He made the remarks when Maldivian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Shiuneen Rasheed paid a courtesy call on him at Bangabhaban this morning, President’s Press Secretary Md Sarwar Alam told BSS.

During the meeting, the High Commissioner conveyed a congratulatory message and greetings from Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. In response, Mirza Fakhrul thanked her and conveyed his greetings to the Maldivian President.

When the High Commissioner informed the President about plans to organise a business summit in Dhaka, he welcomed the initiative, saying it would strengthen engagement between businesspeople and investors from both countries and expand bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation.

Highlighting the contributions of more than 100,000 Bangladeshis working in the Maldivian economy, the President said cooperation could be further expanded in manpower, tourism, fisheries and fisheries resource management for the mutual benefit of both nations.

He also reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to maintaining existing facilities and opportunities for Maldivian students pursuing medical education in the country.

On regional cooperation, the President said Bangladesh was keen to strengthen regional collaboration by revitalising the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He emphasised the importance of the Maldives’ cooperation and constructive role in achieving this goal.

Both sides expressed hope that the longstanding friendly relations between Bangladesh and the Maldives would grow stronger in the coming years.

The President’s Military Secretary, Press Secretary and a Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were also present at the meeting.