Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka Ali Sabry and expressed mutual cooperation in various fields. Minister Shahid is on an official visit to Sri Lanka on the invitation of Minister Sabry to attend the celebrations of the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka.
During the meeting, Minister Shahid exchanged views with Minister Sabry on strengthening existing areas and exploring new avenues of cooperation, particularly on trade, investment, education, and culture. Meanwhile, Minister Shahid thanked the willingness of the government of Sri Lanka to ease the procedure for obtaining visas for Maldivian students under the age of 18 on a reciprocal basis.
Following the meeting, the two ministers witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation on Immigration Matters. The agreement signed is mutually beneficial and assists the two countries in managing border security and enhancing people-to-people contact between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.