Maldives and Pakistan Strengthen Bilateral Ties with 20 New Agreements
- The Maldives and Pakistan exchanged 20 MoUs spanning defence, maritime security, cybersecurity, AI, healthcare, education, and more.
- Pakistan aims to raise bilateral trade from $13.9 million to $200 million within two years.
- President Muizzu's state visit marked 60 years of diplomatic relations, featuring a ceremonial welcome and tree-planting.
The Maldives and Pakistan have exchanged 20 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to strengthen strategic, economic, and institutional ties, while Pakistan set an ambitious target to boost annual bilateral trade between the two nations to $200 million within two years.
Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the formal exchange of agreements during President Muizzu’s state visit to Islamabad.
The 20 agreements establish cooperation frameworks across defence, maritime security, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and digital skills. They also cover healthcare, education, agriculture, fisheries, tourism, environmental protection, youth empowerment, and joint efforts to combat human trafficking and narcotics.
Institutional MoUs formed a major component of the exchange. The State Trading Organisation (STO) signed a commercial deal with the Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to supply essential commodities to the Maldives. Additionally, state entities signed agreements on healthcare professional recruitment, drug regulation, civil service training, and police education between the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement of the Maldives and the Police Academy of Pakistan.
During a joint press statement, Prime Minister Sharif outlined plans to expand two-way trade from its current level of $13.9 million to $200 million over the next two years. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to supporting the Maldives through institutional training in defence, healthcare, and technical education.
Prime Minister Sharif received President Muizzu with a ceremonial welcome at the Prime Minister House, complete with a guard of honour. Marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, President Muizzu also participated in a symbolic tree-planting ceremony on the grounds.
