President begins Pakistan state visit marking 60 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday on a State Visit. 

The President’s couple departed Male' city early this morning, accompanied by a high-level government delegation including several cabinet ministers. The visit, which runs until Thursday, marks the first official trip by a Maldivian President to Pakistan in ten years, following former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s visit in May 2015. It also coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

During the visit, President Muizzu will hold separate meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari. High-level official talks are scheduled, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening longstanding bilateral ties, regional interests, the revival of SAARC, UN Security Council resolutions, cooperation within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and expanding economic and trade relations.

Around 12 agreements and memoranda of understanding are planned to be signed during the visit. These include an agreement to launch direct flights between Maldives and Pakistan and an MoU on cooperation in the health sector. Key agreements on higher education and research, defence, finance, technology, parliamentary relations, tourism, climate change and media are also on the agenda.