FM Pakistan values its ties with Maldives, says PM

Says Islamabad ready to help regional neighbours in anti-terror fight

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan is ready to extend all possible cooperation to the neighbouring countries in their fight against terrorism.

The prime minister made these remarks during a meeting with Maldives’s Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon, who is currently on a three-day visit to Pakistan.



Apart from meeting with the prime minister, the visiting foreign minister also held talks with the Prime Ministers’ Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Special Assistant on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi.

Nawaz told the Maldives foreign minister that Pakistan has been successfully waging a relentless war against terrorism and the ongoing military operation has produced positive results, said a statement issued by the PM office.

“Pakistan supports and will extend all possible cooperation to the initiatives of neighbouring countries to curb and eliminate the menace of terrorism,” the statement quoted Nawaz as saying.

He said Pakistan attached high importance to its relations with the Maldives and these relations were based on cordiality and common interests.

He said both the countries needed to benefit from the vast potential in the area of trade and Pakistan would continue to support the Maldives under Special Assistance Programme for South Asia.

“Pakistan and the Maldives need to specifically enhance their cooperation in the field of tourism to benefit from the huge potential in this regard,” Nawaz said.



The Maldives Foreign Minister Maumoon extended invitation to the prime minister to visit Maldives and delivered him the letter of the Maldives’ president.

Meanwhile, Sartaj Aziz welcomed the foreign minister and her delegation to Pakistan.

He noted that the relations between Pakistan and the Maldives were marked by cordiality, mutual respect and commonality of interests.

They expressed satisfaction over the trajectory of the bilateral relations between the two countries.

The adviser observed that the tourism industry of Maldives has been growing and Pakistan will like to develop cooperation in this sector. Aziz stated that the development of shipping lines between the two countries holds a lot of importance and efforts should be made towards this.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2016.