Maldives and Pakistan to Boost Bilateral Trade to US$200 Million, President Muizzu Announces

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced on Wednesday that trade between the Maldives and Pakistan will be increased from US$13 million to US$200 million. He made the announcement in a joint statement with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during his official visit to Pakistan. Speaking after the signing of around 20 memoranda of understanding between the two countries, President Muizzu said the MoUs were important for the progress of both nations and would help take bilateral relations to a new level. He said the aim was to raise bilateral trade to US$200 million within the next two years, up from the current US$13 million. "As Maldives-Pakistan relations complete 60 years, the foundation laid today is an important path toward a new future," the President said. The agreements cover various sectors, including direct air services between the Maldives and Pakistan, health cooperation, higher education and research, defence, finance and technology, parliamentary ties, tourism, climate change and media. The visit is the first official trip to Pakistan by a Maldivian president in a decade, since President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Qayyoom's visit in May 2015, and marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.