Nawaz, Abdulla discuss bilateral ties in Male

• Pakistan, Maldives agree to enhance bilateral ties, to make SAARC vibrant
• PM says India causes harm to SAARC by seeking summit postponement
• Pakistan to support Maldivian vision of cooperation, friendly ties with all

Pakistan and Maldives on Tuesday agreed to further enhance their bilateral relations in various fields, overcome common challenges and work jointly to make that the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) a vibrant organisation.

Speaking at a joint press conference here along with Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif said that they exchanged views and ideas to further expand and strengthen bilateral relations in all areas of mutual interest, including trade, education, tourism, defence and people-to-people contacts.

The prime minister is on a three-day official visit to Maldives on the invitation of President Abdulla Yameen, and will be the chief guest at the Independence Day celebrations of the country on July 26. Prime Minister Nawaz said they had a complete meeting of minds on the need to overcome common challenges such as climate change and terrorism.

He said they also agreed to work together to make the SAARC a vibrant organisation and a vehicle to realise their shared dreams for a peaceful and prosperous region. He said the last SAARC Summit in Islamabad was not the first time that India caused harm to the SAARC by seeking postponement of the summit. It had done so on four occasions, he added.

He said that India undermined and violated the spirit of the SAARC Charter by casting shadows of bilateral issues and problems on a multilateral forum for regional cooperation. “We, however, remain grateful for President Abdulla Yameen’s support regarding the SAARC Summit in Islamabad,” he added.

The prime minister said during the meeting, he also highlighted the ongoing brutal repression and gross human rights violations by the Indian forces in the Indian-held Jammu Kashmir. Prime Minister Nawaz also briefed President Abdulla Yameen on Pakistan’s efforts to fight the scourge of terrorism.

“The brave people and armed forces of Pakistan have been resolute in the face of terror and have rendered untold sacrifices,” the prime minister said. “We have launched successful security operations against terrorists and have won important victories.” It was Pakistan’s contribution to the peace and stability of the entire region, he added.

He said that President Abdulla Yameen shared with him his vision of promoting cooperation and friendly relations between the Maldives and other countries. Pakistan stood ready to support his efforts, he added. He said that both the countries had signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for enhancing bilateral cooperation in the fields of tourism, trade, education, capacity building of civil servants and training for diplomats.

He said that Pakistan-Maldives Joint Business Council and the Joint Working Group had been established, which would serve as platforms for enhanced trade and investment cooperation by facilitating collaboration between businesses and institutions. In order to sustain on the progress already achieved in bilateral relations, the prime minister said both the countries had constituted four joint working committees.

The committees would oversee the implementation of the MoUs signed between the two counties, including those concluded during President Abdulla Yameen’s visit to Pakistan in 2015, he said and added that the MoUs related to sports, health, education and combating illicit drugs. Prime Minister Nawaz said he briefed President Abdulla Yameen on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the contribution that the truly historic initiative would make to the region’s economic integration, connectivity and shared prosperity.

He announced establishment of a medical college for the people of Maldives. Pakistan would provide all resources for it, he added. He said from this year on, they would also provide five additional slots for Maldivian students to study medicine, engineering, pharmacy and dentistry in Pakistan. Congratulating the people and leadership of Maldives on their 52nd year of independence, the prime minister said it was a matter of great happiness for him to share in the celebrations.

It was a measure of the warmth and cordiality between Pakistan and the Maldives that President Abdulla Yameen had accorded to him the honour of being the chief guest on the happy occasion, he said, adding that he was deeply touched by this gesture of friendship.

Speaking on the occasion, President Abdulla Yameen said that he had received the same feelings of warmth, friendliness and mutual respect that he carried from the people of Pakistan for the people of the Maldives during his visit to Pakistan in 2015. He said the bonds of goodwill and amity would endure and continue to manifest themselves in ever-closer cooperation between the two countries, not only bilaterally but at all the relevant international fora as well.

He said that Pakistan had made a tremendous contribution to Maldives in the fields of education and thanked the prime minister for setting up a medical college. He said they also agreed to join their efforts for eradication of terrorism and extremism.

During a delegation-level meeting here at the President’s Office, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Abdulla Yameen agreed that the SAARC could provide a conducive and congenial atmosphere to build economic synergies and transform the quality of life of the South Asian people.

Pakistan attached importance to its relations with the Maldives, Nawaz said. During the meeting, Prime Minister Nawaz was assisted by Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, representatives of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation and the Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries and other senior officials.

Prime Minister Nawaz also held a one-to-one meeting with Maldivian president wherein he thanked the host for the warm welcome and the invitation to attend the Independence Day celebrations. Earlier, Prime Minister Nawaz was given a warm welcome when he arrived at the President House where President Abdulla Yameen received him.

A contingent of Maldivian armed forces presented the Guard of Honour while a gun salute was also presented to him. The prime minister reviewed the guard of honour. Schoolchildren greeted the prime minister and First Lady Begum Kalsoom Nawaz with traditional dance and national songs.

Earlier, Pakistan and Maldives signed a number of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) to further bolster bilateral cooperation in areas of trade, education, tourism etc. Prime Minister Nawaz and President Abdulla Yameen witnessed the signing ceremony.