PM Shehbaz Sharif, Maldivian president hold delegation-level talks; 20 MoUs exchanged

Islamabad( Report By Muhammad Saleem )
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu held a meeting at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad on Tuesday, followed by delegation-level talks between the two countries.
The prime minister welcomed the Maldivian president on his arrival at the Prime Minister’s House, where a guard of honour was presented. President Muizzu inspected the guard of honour and planted a sapling at the Prime Minister’s House as a memento.
During the talks, the two leaders reviewed Pakistan-Maldives bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its longstanding fraternal ties with the Maldives and continuing cooperation in the country’s national development priorities.
Economic cooperation received particular attention during the talks. The two leaders agreed to enhance bilateral trade, investment, tourism, food security, pharmaceuticals and private-sector partnerships.
They also stressed the need to improve air and maritime connectivity and to convene an early meeting of the Joint Economic Commission.
The prime minister and the Maldivian president set a target of increasing bilateral trade from the current $1.34 million to $20 million over the next two years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s readiness to supply essential food items and medicines to the Maldives, saying these would be provided through direct arrangements between the two governments.
He also announced 20 additional undergraduate scholarships annually for Maldivian students. The prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to cooperation in healthcare, vocational training and institutional capacity-building.
Under the Maldivian president’s “Five Million Trees Initiative,” the prime minister announced that Pakistan would provide 100,000 olive saplings and 100,000 seeds of various plants over the next 12 months, subject to seasonal availability. Pakistani experts would also be sent to the Maldives to help establish plant nurseries, supporting the production of a total of one million plants over three years.
On regional and global issues, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peace, dialogue, respect for sovereignty and adherence to international law. The prime minister appreciated the Maldives’ principled position on Palestine. He also presented Pakistan’s position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, the Indus Waters Treaty and the regional security situation.
The two leaders witnessed the exchange of 20 memorandums of understanding for cooperation in various fields. These covered health, education, technical training, tourism, civil aviation, agriculture, fisheries, defence, maritime security, law-enforcement agencies, civil service, social protection, culture and youth affairs, among other areas.
During a joint media interaction, both leaders expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the meeting and stressed timely implementation of the agreements to ensure practical benefits for the people of both countries.
At a special ceremony, the International Islamic University Islamabad awarded an honorary PhD degree in politics and international relations to Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu in recognition of his leadership, public service and contribution to the development of the Maldives.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also hosted a luncheon in honour of the Maldivian president and his delegation.
The Maldivian president’s official visit is the first visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in the past 11 years. It is taking place on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and the Maldives, marking an important step towards further strengthening and expanding mutually beneficial ties between the two countries.