Vice President Calls On The President of Bangladesh And Other Officials.

Vice President Faisal Naseem departed to Bangladesh with a Delegation of Cabinet Ministers and High-Level Officials from the President’s Office and the government for a three-day official visit. During his visit, VP Faisal called upon the President of Bangladesh, Md. Abdul Hamid at the Bangladeshi Presidential Palace, Bangabhaban. The Vice President and the President discussed areas of mutual cooperation and ways to improve relations between the two countries during the meeting.

Furthermore, VP Faisal also met with the Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, the Minister of Expatriate's Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Minister of Youth and Sports, and the Minister of Education, at separate meetings. Important discussions that took place during the meetings include the current situation of the Maldives and Bangladesh following the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on both countries and opportunities to collaborate in the provision of pharmaceutical products to the Maldives.

VP Faisal also noted that unregulated workers may be more easily exploited, hence, VP requested the aid of the Ministry in regularizing all Bangladeshi workers in the Maldives. They further discussed partnerships for technical training and skills development programs as well as work exchange programs to help employees build critical skills.

Additionally, plans were discussed to initiate talks to exchange further agreements for bilateral sports development, athlete exchanges, special training camps for athletes and agreements to provide expert assistance in various areas of the sports sector. VP Faisal also discussed the re-invigoration of cricket in the Maldives, stating that an all-star Bangladeshi cricket team coming to play in the Maldives would draw the attention of sports-oriented youth and individuals towards cricket.

VP noted that the Maldives required assistance from the Bangladeshi government to further improve education opportunities to specialize in fields such as healthcare and engineering, and in building technical expertise for creating standard practices at educational regulatory bodies. Additionally, scholarship opportunities for Maldivian students from Bangladeshi institutions were also highlighted.

Last but not the least, VP Faisal met with the Chairman of the South East Asian Foundation (SEACO), Salahuddin Kasem Khan, where he accepted the letter offering a scholarship opportunity for two underprivileged Maldivian students at Chittagong University.

The Acting Vice-Chancellor of the University of Asia Pacific, Sultan Mahmud, also offered a fully sponsored scholarship for one Maldivian student and a partial fee waiver for one more Maldivian student. The Managing Director of Kumudini Welfare Trust, Rajiv Prasad Shaha, also offered Special Scholarship for five Maldivian students for Bachelors of Dentistry (BDS) and two Maldivian students for Master of Science (MSc) in Nursing.