Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu received a guard of honour at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad on Wednesday, as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed him during his three-day state visit.
The national anthems of Pakistan and the Maldives were played during the welcoming ceremony, after which the two leaders introduced their respective delegations and proceeded to bilateral discussions.
Earlier, Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met President Muizzu and conveyed greetings from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its longstanding relations with the Maldives, highlighting opportunities to expand cooperation in trade, investment, education, tourism and climate change.
He also welcomed the participation of Maldivian business representatives in the Maldives-Pakistan Business Forum, expressing hope that the discussions would generate new trade and investment opportunities.
President Muizzu thanked Pakistan for its hospitality and expressed his country’s interest in deepening bilateral relations and exploring mutually beneficial areas of cooperation.
During his visit, Muizzu is scheduled to meet President Zardari, who will host a state banquet in his honour, and hold further talks with Prime Minister Sharif.
The two countries are expected to discuss cooperation in several sectors, including health, agriculture, defence, maritime security and people-to-people exchanges. Several agreements and memorandums of understanding are also expected to be signed.
The visit marks the first by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years and coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, established in 1966.
