Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has engaged in discussions regarding the regularization and repatriation of undocumented Bangladeshi workers, with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen.

A number of topics including the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, important bilateral and multilateral issues and the repatriation exercise were discussed during the telephone conversation held between both ministers on Tuesday.

FM Shahid in a Twitter post after the discussions, noted that Maldives is committed to strengthen relations with the Bangladeshi government.

During the phone conversation, FM Shahid briefed his Bangladeshi counterpart on the Covid-19 situation as well as safety measures implemented in the Maldives. Highlighting that daily cases are steadily decreasing in the island nation, the Maldives minister stated that Maldives is slowly easing restrictive measures, accordingly.

Further, FM Shahid also praised the Bangladeshi government on successfully addressing the Covid-19 outbreak in Bangladesh, having acknowledged the “enormous” challenges facing Bangladesh due to the dense population and limited capacity.

The minister went on to express gratitude to Minister Momen for his personal contribution and assistance extended.

During the discussions, FM Shahid requested from the Bangladeshi minister to increase the frequency of repatriation flights in light of the large numbers of undocumented Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives, who are still awaiting their return home.

Minister Momen assured the Bangladeshi government’s full support and cooperation in the Maldives government’s efforts to regularize and repatriate undocumented workers in the island nation, amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.

Discussions also touched down on the expansion of trade and commerce between the two countries especially with a focus on food supply, pharmaceuticals, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), medical accessories and river sand for construction work.

FM Shahid and Momen agreed that improving connectivity between both countries would be a criterion and that a direct shipping line between Maldives and Bangladesh would “go a long way” to ensure the benefits of bilateral trade for the people of both countries.

During the call, FM Shahid expressed hope that both countries will continue supporting each other and cooperating on bilateral and international issues of mutual concern.

During May, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced that the government will be repatriating thousands of Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the Maldives, following which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development collaboratively began a repatriation exercise.

The repatriation exercise is being carried out in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladeshi High Commission in the Maldives, with the assistance from the Bangladeshi government.

Earlier, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail stated that the government aims to send back at least 20,000 undocumented workers prior to the end of 2020. Fayyaz noted that expatriate workers will not be send back home, without their consent.

The authorities began battling the global pandemic at a time the issue of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals living illegally in the Maldives had been a rising concern. Maldives Immigration earlier revealed that close to 100,000 undocumented workers are residing illegally in the Maldives without valid documentations and/or passports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that up until October 28, a total of 7,541 undocumented migrants were repatriated.