Maldives, Pakistan Sign 20 MOUs in Historic Visit Marking 60 Years of Ties

The Maldives and Pakistan have signed around 20 agreements and memoranda of understanding (MOUs), including an agreement to launch direct flights between the two countries, during President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's official visit to Pakistan. President Muizzu and the First Lady arrived in Pakistan on Tuesday morning with a high-level government delegation, including several ministers. The agreements signed on Wednesday cover a wide range of sectors, including health sector support, higher education and research, defence, finance and technology, parliamentary relations, tourism, climate change and media cooperation. Other MOUs cover youth empowerment and sports, tourism, culture, heritage and arts, environment, agriculture, maritime security, information technology, cyber security, artificial intelligence, digital skills, innovation and entrepreneurship, trafficking and drug prevention, social protection, recruitment of health workers, fisheries, and technical and vocational education and training. An agreement was also signed between the Maldivian ministry responsible for education, higher education and skills development and Pakistan's Higher Education Commission. The President and First Lady received a red carpet welcome upon arrival in Islamabad on Tuesday night, and President Muizzu was officially welcomed by Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday. The visit is the first official visit by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 10 years, following former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Qayyoom's visit in May 2015. It is also a historic trip coinciding with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the visit, President Muizzu is scheduled to hold separate meetings with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, along with official high-level talks. The visit continues until Thursday.