Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the Maldives must grow further to enhance trade, investment, connectivity, and people-to-people contacts.“Our bilateral relations must grow,” Hasina said while speaking at the State Banquet hosted by the President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in honour of her.She said Bangladesh and the Maldives share religious values, cultural affinity and stand on the same plane of developmental aspiration. “With these commonalities in place, we look forward to striding ahead together in the days to come,” she said adding, “We could set an example by our collaboration during the pandemic. As we believe in shared prosperity and socio-economic development, I feel happy to see thousands of Bangladeshis working together with their Maldivian brothers and sisters in the Maldives and contributing to both country’s economies.” Read: Be partners in Bangladesh’s development story, Hasina to Maldivian entrepreneurs Expressing her gratitude, she said Bangladesh had the honour to welcome the Maldivian President in March this year to celebrate the Birth Centenary of our Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the Golden Jubilee of the Independence of Bangladesh.“Your gracious presence at our celebrations added further glory. Excellency! Thank you for allowing us to share our pride and joy!” she said.The Prime Minister appreciated the commendable initiatives of the Maldivian President to radically reshape the economic landscape of the Maldives through the particular emphasis on inter-island connectivity, green tourism, climate-smart infrastructure, and transition to renewable energy.“I salute the people of Maldives for their determination in the face of acute climate adversity and for their resilience in keeping the tourism industry rolling, even amid shockwaves of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hasina said.On the other hand, she said, our endeavours are also focused on implementing the development discourse and transforming Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041. Read: Dhaka, Male seek cooperation in fisheries, agriculture“Our Government's Vision-2041 is an image of Bangladesh that meets the hopes and aspirations of the country's people for an economically, developed, and inclusive society envisioned by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib’s dream Golden Bangladesh.”She mentioned that the government is committed to implementing SDGs in the stipulated time frame.“We also have started implementing 'Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100.' With our all-out efforts, Bangladesh has already been branded as 'the Development Miracle' by the world,” Hasina added.

Bangladesh has urged Maldives to sign Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) and bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) between the two countries to strengthen the relations on trade and investment fronts.