PR. No.239/2008

Date: 01/08/2008    

MEETING OF THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF MALDIVES (August 1, 2008)

On the sidelines of 15 th SAARC summit at Colombo , the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi held meeting with the Foreign Minister of Maldives. The two Ministers appreciated the progress made by SAARC in a number of areas including the operationalization of SAARC Development Fund. They agreed that the member states could deepen their economic relations by concentrating on project oriented cooperation under SAARC. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan emphasised the need to increase regional cooperation for food and energy securities, which were vital for region's development.

The two Ministers agreed that Pakistan and Maldives should deepen their relations as an immense potential for economic and commercial cooperation existed between the two countries. The Foreign Minister of Pakistan said that the two countries need to collaborate to combat terrorism. He further said that Pakistan would continue to contribute in human resource development of Maldives though training of professionals including personnel of the Maldivian defence and police forces and academic scholarships to students .

Islamabad

01 August 2008