Maldives and Turkiye have signed a trade and economic cooperation pact in a bid to expand cooperation between the two Islamic nations, according to a statement from the Maldives’ President’s office on Monday.
The pact was signed following official talks between Maldives’ new President Mohamed Muizzu and Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which took place at the Presidential Palace in Ankara.
The two leaders said that they would like to expand cooperation in trade and investment, renewable energy, higher education and other areas.
Erdogan expressed confidence that Muizzu’s visit would mark a “new chapter” in bilateral ties between the two countries.
“The two presidents reviewed progress in wide range of topics in the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and agreed on a roadmap for expanding cooperation between the two countries,” Muizzu’s office said.
For his part, Muizzu expressed his “profound appreciation” for Turkiye for supporting Maldives’ “socio-economic development”, the statement underscored.
During the talks, both the leaders also condemned Israel in the “strongest terms” for its ongoing military operations in Gaza.
They hoped that the current humanitarian pause would extend into a “ceasefire” and lead to the end of the conflict.
“The two presidents noted that a permanent solution for peace in Palestine can only be attained through the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State with East Jerusalem as its capital within pre-1967 borders, and that Israel should end the illegal occupation of Palestine immediately and return the lands forcefully seized from Palestinians,” the statement underlined.
Muizzu’s Visit Raises Eyebrows in India
Muizzu has raised eyebrows in India by opting for Turkiye as the destination of his first presidential visit after coming to power this month.
In the lead-up to the presidential vote, Muizzu had campaigned extensively on the plank of ending Indian military’s presence in the Indian Ocean nation.
On the other hand, Muizzu’s predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had priortised ties with India under the ‘India First Policy’.
At present, India is the biggest defence and development partner of Maldives as well as the third-biggest trading partner behind the UAE and China.