Maldives and Pakistan sign 20 cooperation deals, including agreeing to launch direct flights

Maldives and Pakistan exchanged 20 cooperation agreements on Wednesday, including an agreement to resume launch direct flights between the two countries.

The agreements were signed in Islamabad on Wednesday afternoon in the presence of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the latter of whom is on a three-day state visit to Pakistan.

The Memoranda of Understanding signed between Maldives and Pakistan include one on launching direct flights between the two countries, and also cover multiple areas of cooperation including healthcare, defense, education, trade, finance, technology, tourism and climate change.

President Muizzu’s current visit marks the first high‑level engagement between Maldives and Pakistan in a decade, and coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The last time a Maldivian president visited Pakistan was in May 2015, when the then-President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom travelled to Islamabad.

President Muizzu is accompanied on the trip by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed and a high-level delegation comprising of cabinet ministers and senior government officials.