State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has put emphasis on opening direct shipping link between Bangladesh and Maldives and also removal of some trade barriers by the Maldivian government.
The state minister was speaking in a meeting with his Maldivian counterpart Dunya Maumoon at Male on Monday.
Shahriar arrived in the Maldivian capital of Male on a two-day official visit to represent Bangladesh government at the celebration of “50th Independence Day of the Maldives”.
He mentioned that Bangladesh could provide Maldives with high quality and international standard products like readymade garments, medicine, jute and leather goods and plastic and ceramic goods at competitive prices.
Expressing satisfaction over the signing of the MoU between the two countries in healthcare and medical science sectors, the state minister said it would facilitate employment of Bangladeshi medical professionals of different categories in Maldives and placement of the Maldivian students in Bangladeshi medical and dental colleges.
He thanked the government of Maldives for its decision to reopen their mission in Dhaka and informed that Bangladesh got a large pool of skilled and semi-skilled workforce in different trades which could meet requirement of Maldives in various sectors.
Shahriar stated that Bangladesh, being one of the worst affected countries by climate change, shared its concerns with the Maldives and joined hands with global communities in efforts to mitigate the adverse impacts.
Pointing out the huge opportunities created in Bangladesh in “blue economy” sector, particularly after delimitation of the maritime boundaries, the state minister urged the Maldivian government as well as private entrepreneurs to use their expertise and invest in this sector in Bangladesh, especially in the deep sea fishing.
At the outset of his meeting with the Maldivian foreign minister, Shahriar Alam congratulated the people of Maldives on the occasion of their 50th anniversary of independence and conveyed the warm greetings of the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh to the government and people of Maldives on this auspicious occasion.
During the meeting, the Maldivian foreign minister applauded the contribution made by the Bangladeshi workforce (around 80 thousand) to the economic development of the Maldives.
The celebration of “50th Independence Day of the Maldives” began Monday through a grand reception hosted by Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in honour of the visiting foreign dignitaries.
The Bangladesh state minister was received by Maldivian Home Minister Umar Naseer. The event held at a compound specially built for this occasion was attended by about 400 foreign dignitaries from different countries.
On the sidelines of the event, Shahriar also held a bilateral meeting with Vice Foreign Minister of Japan Kazuyuki Nakane.
