Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is to arrive in the Maldives on an official visit next Tuesday, says the President’s Office.
According to the Office, the Prime Minister and First Lady Romah Mansor’s visit is on the invitation of President Abdulla Yameen and First Lady Fathimath Ibrahim. They will be in the Maldives from the 19th to 20th of December.
Both parties are to hold bilateral deliberations ‘to enhance the existing ties and development partnership’ between Maldives and Malaysia, and are to sign a number of memorandums of understandings as well.
2017 marks the 49th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with Malaysia, and formal bilateral relations were established in 1968. This is the first time a Malaysian leader is visiting the country in 33 years, with the last visit by former PM Mahathir Mohamed in 1984.
The Malaysian PM and First Lady will arrive in the Maldives after their two-day visit to Sri Lanka, from the 17th to 19th of December. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry has assigned ‘an experienced officer’ to ensure that visits are successful.
President Yameen and the First Lady were on an official trip in Malaysia in December 2016, where both parties ‘rejoiced the close bonds of the two nations’.
While the Malaysian PM is to arrive here next week, his arch enemy, former PM Dr. Mahathir Mohamed met with opposition parliamentarian Ahmed Mahloof on Sunday.
