Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has held discussions with his Nepalese counterpart on evacuating the Maldivian medical students stranded in Nepal.
The foreign ministry revealed there are 17 Maldivian students in Nepal who have been unable to return home after the cancellation of their flight following the lockdown declared in Nepal.
During a phone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nepal Pradeep Gyawali, Foreign Minister Shahid discussed on ways to evacuate the Maldivian students as soon as possible. Noting Nepal is under lockdown, Minister Gyawali noted there are difficulties in arranging aviation. However, he assured the students will be safely transported to Maldives as soon as the Nepalese air space is reopened and flights are resumed.
The 17 medical students in Nepal are seeking to return to Maldives to assist the efforts of fighting the COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The foreign ministry stated the students will be financially assisted by the government until they are able to return to Maldives.