Minister of Economic Development and Trade Mohamed Saeed has reaffirmed the Maldives' commitment to strengthening economic ties with Pakistan, expressing the country's readiness to work closely with Pakistan to achieve shared trade objectives and expand bilateral economic cooperation.
The Minister made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Maldives-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad, where he highlighted the importance both countries place on building stronger and more sustainable economic relations.
Addressing the forum, Minister Saeed expressed his appreciation to the Government of Pakistan for its warm hospitality. He also noted that the engagement between the leaders of the two countries reflected their shared commitment to strengthening long-term economic cooperation.
Highlighting a key objective of this cooperation, the Minister noted that the two countries had set a target to increase bilateral trade from the current USD 13 million to USD 200 million within the next two years. He reaffirmed the Maldives' full commitment to working closely with Pakistan to achieve this target.
Building on this objective, Minister Saeed highlighted the opportunities presented by the business forum, explaining that its presentations and discussions would provide participants with information on the Maldives' investment environment, key economic sectors and emerging business opportunities.
He encouraged business representatives from both countries to make full use of these sessions to identify areas of mutual benefit and establish stronger commercial ties.
The forum forms part of an initiative under which business forums are organised in countries visited by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu during his official overseas trips.
These forums bring together Maldivian and international business representatives, providing a platform to explore investment opportunities in the Maldives and learn about major projects planned by the Government.
The Maldives-Pakistan Business Forum in Islamabad is being held under the same initiative, bringing together business representatives from both countries to explore opportunities for closer economic cooperation.