The two countries observed that there is more potential for increased bilateral trade and noted the absence of a formal trade agreement between Bangladesh and Maldives.

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Bangladesh and the Maldives have also agreed to establish the Joint Commission for Comprehensive Cooperation led by the two Foreign Ministers and the annual Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) through signing relevant MoUs during the upcoming visit of Maldives’ President to Bangladesh in March.

Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr AK Abdul Momen stated that Maldives President Abdulla  Solih’s presence in the Mujib Year celebrations would be an important testament to the enduring friendship between the two nations, according to the joint communiqué issued on Thursday.

During the visit of Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, Bangladesh and Maldives signed MoUs between Foreign Service Institute of Maldives and Foreign Service Academy (FSA) of Bangladesh; and MoU on Placement of Human Resources.

The two Foreign Ministers discussed the forthcoming visit of President of Maldives Ibrahim Solih to Dhaka in March 2021 to join the celebrations of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the Golden Jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh.

The two Foreign Ministers also agreed that the proposed MoU on cooperation in the field of fisheries would be signed during President Solih’s visit to Bangladesh in March 2021.

At the invitation of Foreign Minister Dr Momen, Abdulla Shahid made an official visit to Bangladesh on February 8-11.

The Foreign Minister of Maldives was accompanied by the Foreign Secretary of Maldives Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed and Joint Secretary Fathimath Ghina of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Maldives.

The two Foreign Ministers held a bilateral meeting on February 9 in a warm and friendly atmosphere, reflective of the renewed dynamism and historically close relationship between the two countries.

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They reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and agreed to extend cooperation to a number of novel areas, with increased focus on exploring commerce and trade.

Following the bilateral meeting, the Bangladesh Foreign Minister hosted a luncheon in honour of the visiting Foreign Minister of Maldives.

The Foreign Minister of Maldives visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum and paid courtesy calls on the President and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on February 10.

Foreign Minister Shahid noted that the Bangladeshi expatriates were making substantial contributions to the economy of Maldives.

Appreciating the regularization program launched by the Ministry of Economic Development of Maldives in 2019 to legalize undocumented workers, Foreign Minister Dr. Momen requested the Government of Maldives to regularize the remaining undocumented Bangladeshi expatriates at an accelerated pace.

The Maldives Foreign Minister stated that a moratorium on recruitment of new unskilled human resources, is expected to remain until the regularization of existing undocumented expatriates was completed; he also clarified that Maldives would continue to welcome skilled workforce from Bangladesh as before.

In order to conduct the programme more efficiently, Foreign Minister Shahid proposed signing of an MoU to resolve the challenges of migrant workers between the two countries, on which the Bangladesh side agreed to hold internal stakeholder consultations.

To ensure the expatriates do not fall victim to unscrupulous brokers at either end, Foreign Minister Dr Momen suggested that future recruitments be made through agencies nominated by the Government of Bangladesh and endorsed by the Bangladesh High Commission in Malé. The Maldives side took positive note of the suggestion.

Foreign Minister Dr Momen deeply appreciated President Solih’s declaration that all expatriates in Maldives would be vaccinated free of cost.

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In response to Maldives’ request to send a team of expert nurses from Bangladesh to assist the vaccination efforts in Maldives, he indicated that the request would be met soon.

The two Foreign Ministers underscored the need to have robust connectivity between Bangladesh and Maldives as a means to promote the exchange of goods and services, culture, and people. They also agreed on the need to boost private sector involvement.

Foreign Minister Dr Momen called upon the Maldives side to source world-class healthcare, RMG, processed food, vegetables and agro-products, household appliances, construction materials, and eco-friendly jute, leather, plastic, ceramic and light engineering products from Bangladesh at a competitive price.

The two Foreign Ministers agreed that a direct shipping line, established through a Shipping Agreement, would be conducive to further trade between Bangladesh and Maldives.

Foreign Minister Dr Momen encouraged Maldivian investment in joint package tourism and suggested collaboration for market development, sharing of best practices and innovative ideas, and the exchange of expert tour operators between Maldives and Bangladesh.

He particularly suggested the promotion of coastal and river cruise tourism between Male’ and Chattogram.

The two sides highlighted the need to support each other in different negotiating platforms on climate change, including in the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF). The two Foreign Ministers put renewed impetus on the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Foreign Minister Shahid reiterated Maldives’ support to Bangladesh on the issue of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals from Rakhine State and commended Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s generous efforts in taking care of them.

He noted that Maldives had always advocated for the rights of the Rohingya people, and that Maldives was working together with the Government of Gambia to seek accountability at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Rohingya genocide committed by the Myanmar military.