The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid has returned to the Maldives on Tuesday after concluding official visits of to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Nation of Brunei.

FM Shahid departed to Brunei on March 5th and held several meetings with top diplomats of the southeast Asian country.

Upon minister Shahid’s request, the government of Brunei has guaranteed to increase scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students.

Further, the minister held discussions on establishing a halal science laboratory in the Maldives, requesting Brunei’s assistance in the field.

Following his trip to Brunei, FM Shahid departed for the UAE on Sunday. During this visit, the minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) for MVR 771 million (USD 50 million) in grant aid to the Maldives.

This grant aid by the ADFD will be the largest aid assistance donated to the Maldives, said the foreign ministry.