Discussions held on possibility of direct air cargo carriers between Maldives, Bangladesh

Discussions have been held on the possibility of direct air cargo carriers between Maldives and Bangladesh.

This was announced during a meeting between President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina at the UN Headquarters in New York City, on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Discussions revolved around the unprecedented challenges that both countries were faced with due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, Further, discussions also revolved around exploring new avenues of connectivity as well as trade, commerce and economic diplomacy possibly through launching direct air cargo carriers between the two countries, and expressed hope to strengthen and promote international and regional cooperation.

Shedding light on the measures enforced by the Maldivian government to curb the spread of coronavirus, President Solih revealed that authorities prioritized proper medical care and vaccines for all, including the expatriate community residing in the Maldives.

Maldives and Bangladesh remain committed to continue closely cooperating in the sectors of health and education, both leaders affirmed.

He went on to thank the Bangladeshi government for the relief assistance in deploying the Bangladesh medical teams to assist Maldives' efforts to battle the virus.

With this being, said, the Bangladeshi PM expressed gratitude to the Maldivian president for efforts to regularize irregular migrant workers from Bangladesh. This initiative stemmed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Raising concern over the impacts of the climate emergency the two countries witness as two of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, President Solih applauded the work of the Bangladeshi government and current Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

The leaders also expressed hope to work in collaboration to yield fruitful results during the upcoming COP26 to be held in Glasgow, in November 2021.

During the meeting, PM Hasina shed light on the urgency of sea level rising to her people as well as the Maldives, expressing commitment to raise the Maldives’ plight in her meetings with other leaders.

President Solih expressed Maldives’ support to Bangladesh in regards to the Rohingya Muslims, expressing commitment to continue collaborating with the Bangladeshi government and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to seek accountability for the Rohingya people at the International Court of Justice.