ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Maldives have agreed to boost their bilateral trade volume from $13 million to $200 million over the next two years, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday, as the two countries signed 20 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and an agreement to strengthen cooperation across multiple sectors.
The agreements were signed during the three-day state visit of Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, the first by a president of the island nation to Pakistan in 11 years. The visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. PM Shehbaz and President Muizzu witnessed the signing ceremony as representatives of the two sides exchanged the documents.
PM Shehbaz, while addressing a joint presser with the visiting dignitary on the occasion, said efforts to increase bilateral trade would be accelerated, adding that Pakistan would provide technical assistance to the Maldives in the information technology sector.
The MoUs and agreement cover defence, information technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, health, education, social protection, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, maritime security and several other areas of bilateral cooperation.
Later, addressing a joint media stakeout along with visiting Maldivian President Muizzu, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed serious concern over India’s decision to place the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance, stressing that legally binding international agreements must be respected and shared water resources should never be weaponised or used as a tool of political pressure. He maintained that water is a lifeline for humanity and more so for lower riparian states, and that any violation in this regard would be regarded by Pakistan as an act of war. He reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remained an internationally recognised dispute.
Shehbaz said that the existing trade volume represented only a fraction of the economic potential of the two brotherly countries. “We have agreed to increase the volume of bilateral trade from around $13.9 million to $200 million within the next two years.”
The premier also held restricted and delegation-level talks with Dr Mohamed Muizzu at the PM House where the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments. Shehbaz said the 20 MoUs and agreements pertain to important areas of bilateral cooperation and assured that he would personally work with the Maldivian president to ensure their timely implementation. He said the two sides had held productive discussions on trade, investment, strategic defence cooperation, education, health, policing and capacity building, besides exchanging views on regional and international issues. The prime minister announced that Pakistan would provide 100,000 olive cuttings and 100,000 seeds of different plant species to support the Maldives’ initiative to plant five million trees. He also offered Pakistan’s technical expertise to the Maldives in various fields, including information technology and the establishment of data centres.
President Muizzu thanked the Pakistani leadership and people for their warm hospitality, saying the visit offered an opportunity to build a new era of partnership on the foundations of six decades of friendship.
Earlier, the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) conferred an honorary doctorate in Politics and International Relations on President Muizzu, in recognition of his distinguished public service, leadership, and socio-economic advancement of his country, as well as his contributions to the Muslim Ummah. The honorary doctorate was conferred on the Maldivian president at the 13th Special Convocation held at the PM House, following the delegation-level talks and exchange of MoUs between the two sides. The degree was awarded on behalf of President Asif Ali Zardari, in his capacity as Chancellor and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the IIUI. Shehbaz, accompanied by the IIU Rector, presented the honorary degree to President Muizzu.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on President Muizzu. Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to its longstanding fraternal relations with Maldives, Dar underscored the importance of expanding bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade, investment, education, climate change and tourism.
Meanwhile, First Lady of Maldives Mrs Sajidha Mohamed visited the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, and expressed interest in future collaboration with the institute in the field of public health. The First Lady of Pakistan, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed underscored the importance of women’s empowerment, youth development and greater people-to-people engagement as key pillars of Pakistan-Maldives bilateral relations. Aseefa met with Sajidha at the Aiwan-e-Sadr where both first ladies emphasised the importance of closer cooperation between relevant institutions and civil society organisations working for the welfare of women, children and youth.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari emphasised the need to translate the strong political goodwill between Pakistan and Maldives into greater trade, investment, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting Maldives in education, healthcare, human resource development, social protection and sustainable development. He was talking to the President of the Republic of Maldives during a meeting at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Wednesday. The two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation in areas of mutual interest. The meeting was followed by a state banquet hosted by President Zardari in honour of Maldives President Muizzu and his accompanying delegation, which was attended, among others, by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, COAS & Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chairman Senate Yousuf Raza Gilani, Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Commander National Strategic Command General Syed Aamer Raza as well as members of the cabinet, parliament and diplomatic corps. Also, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, called on Dr Mohamed Muizzu, President of the Republic of Maldives, here on Wednesday.
During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, the regional security environment and avenues for enhancing bilateral cooperation were discussed. Both sides underscored the importance of strengthening defence cooperation, institutional linkages and professional exchanges. Dr Mohamed Muizzu commended the professionalism of Pakistan’s armed forces and appreciated Pakistan’s continued efforts to promote peace and stability in the region, the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.
