Maldives and Mauritius discuss strengthening trade cooperation

Maldives and Mauritius have engaged in discussions regarding enhancing trade cooperation between the two countries.

The discussions took place in a meeting between Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth at the Kigali Marriott Hotel in Rwanda on Friday.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2022.

At the meeting, President Solih and Prime Minister Jugnauth discussed ways to enhance trade cooperation and noted the similarities between Maldives and Mauritius in the tourism sector.

They also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and areas of mutual interest in international cooperation.

Speaking at the meeting, President Solih noted that both Mauritius and Maldives were part of major platforms such as the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations and the Alliance for the Small Island States (AOSIS). He noted that both countries depended on the Indian Ocean for commerce, trade and livelihoods.

He said that the two countries could learn from each other in the tourism sector, particularly in revitalizing the tourism industry’s role in reversing the economic downfall caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also expressed hopes of strengthening future commercial and economic ties between the two countries.

President Solih is accompanied on his official visit to Rwanda to attend the CHOGM 2022 by First Lady Fazna Ahmed and a high-level delegation of government officials.

CHOGM 2022 is the first CHOGM to be held after a two-year delay due to the pandemic and the first held since Maldives’ re-accession to the Commonwealth of Nations on February 1, 2020.