Turkey to issue on-arrival visa to Maldivians

Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has stated Maldives and Turkey have agreed on signing an agreement to allow Maldivians to travel to Turkey without obtaining prior visa.

Speaking to the press after holding official bilateral talks between Maldives and Turkey as part of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu’s official trip to the Maldives – Minister Shahid said that Maldivian government had proposed to sign an agreement on establishing a visa-free regime between Maldives and Turkey. Noting that the proposal had been accepted – Minister Shahid said arrangements will soon be made for on-arrival visa issuance for Maldivians in Turkey.

During Turkish Foreign Minister’s trip to the Maldives, a total of five agreements have been signed between the two nations in the areas of trade and economic cooperation, agriculture, culture and cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives and the Diplomacy Academy of Türkiye.

Turkish Foreign Minister paid a courtesy call to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih today as well. During the call, the Minister and the President discussed cooperation between the two countries on counter-terrorism.

Turkish Foreign Minister arrived in the Maldives, on invitation of Minister Shahid, last Friday. The official activities of the trip were carried out today, after which the Minister had departed.

This is the first official visit by a Turkish Foreign Minister to the Maldives.

The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1979. Since then, Turkey and Maldives have maintained close diplomatic relations in various areas. Turkey has also recently become a popular destination for Maldivian tourists. Moreover, business investments between both countries are also on the rise.