The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mohamed Asim, has said that Maldives and Pakistan are bound by the strong bond of common faith.
In a lecture given by the Foreign Minister at the Foreign Service Academy of Pakistan, this morning, on the relations between the Maldives and Pakistan, he appreciated the important role being played by Pakistan in promoting Islamic solidarity.
In his speech, Minister Asim noted that the ties between the two countries dates back for several decades, even prior to the independence of Maldives and is underpinned by a deep sense of solidarity between the peoples of the two countries. Minister noted that the cooperation between the two countries have expanded considerably over the years and covers a wide range of issues including defense, education, health, culture and sports, to name a few.
“It is perhaps for that reason that the first multilateral conference that the Maldives participated was the International Islamic Economic Conference at Karachi in 1949, sixteen years before the Maldives gained full independence,” Minister Asim said.
Reflecting on the State Visit of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, President of the Maldives, to Pakistan in May 2015, Minister Asim said that the visit had signaled a clear vision for mutually beneficial collaboration between the two countries and expressed his hope of further deepening the cooperation and safeguarding mutual interests through the holding of the Maldives-Pakistan Joint Commission.
Minister Asim also expressed the gratitude of the Government of Maldives for the incalculable assistance that Pakistan has been providing towards the socio-economic development of the Maldives, especially in the area of human resource development. In particular, Minister Asim used the opportunity to express his appreciation for the opportunities given by the Foreign Service Academy to train young Maldivian foreign service officers at the Academy and for the assistance provided for the setting-up of the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives (FOSIM).
Prior to addressing the Foreign Service Academy, Minister Asim met with the Director General of the Academy, Ambassador Iftekhar Aziz.