Minister Zameer to depart to Sri Lanka on Monday in a visit seeking to enhance ties

Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer has decided to undertake a visit to neighboring Sri Lanka at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart M.U.M Ali Sabry.

Minister Zameer is set to depart on Monday, according to the Maldivian Foreign Ministry, and will remain in Sri Lanka until Thursday.

This will mark the first visit to Sri Lanka by a Maldivian Foreign Minister since the change in administration in November.

During this visit, Minister Zameer will hold meetings with senior Sri Lankan officials including the country’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. He will also meet his counterpart Sabry, to hold official bilateral talks.

These talks will focus on avenues to further enhance historical close ties between the Maldives and Sri Lanka in addition seeking ways to facilitate easements to Maldivians residing in Sri Lanka.

Notably, Minister Zameer undertook an official visit to India earlier this month for the same purpose, at a time relations between Maldives and India had been soured following derogatory remarks by three senior Maldivian government officials aimed towards India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India’s External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar has remarked that resolving the political turbulence between India and the Maldives looked “more constructive” following Minster Zameer’s visit.