Maldives (Commonwealth Union)_ The governments of the Maldives and Sri Lanka have engaged in discussions on the expansion of their investment and commercial relations. Accordingly, Vice President Faisal Naseem met with Adam Maznavee Jaufer Sadiq, High Commissioner of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the Republic of Maldives, who paid VP Naseem a courtesy call on Monday at the President’s Office.
Vice President Naseem highlighted the close ties between the two nations and thanked the Sri Lankan government for its steadfast assistance to the Maldivian government over the years. He also highlighted the deep ties between the citizens of the two island nations. Further, he expressed optimism that the Sri Lankan government will consider simplifying visa requirements for Maldivian students, which would be a great support for Maldivian families living in Sri Lanka.
The two leaders also discussed boosting bilateral fisheries cooperation between the two island nations and assisting Sri Lanka in overcoming its ongoing economic difficulties. Additionally, Vice President Naseem and the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka then discussed the sharing of technical and professional experience between the Maldives and Sri Lanka. During the discussion, Vice President Naseem underlined that one of the most significant outcomes of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) was the promise to establish a “loss and damage” fund to pay vulnerable developing nations for climate-related losses and damages.
According to him, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, and other climate-vulnerable countries will greatly benefit from the loss and damage compensation fund. The Vice President also lauded the government of the Maldives’ efforts to raise awareness of the financial pressure and climatic risks faced by Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in international forums. The Maldives and Sri Lanka established their diplomatic ties in 1965.