Maldives, Sri Lanka sign 7 agreements on cooperation

The governments of Maldives and Sri Lanka on Monday signed seven agreements covering areas of cooperation.

The agreements were signed at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo during the state visit of President Mohamed Muizzu.

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake attended the ceremony.

The memoranda of understanding cover tourism, archives, education, youth and sports, higher education, defence and academic cooperation.

Under the tourism agreement, both countries will work on joint initiatives in the sector.

The archives agreement sets out cooperation on record management and heritage preservation.

In education, the agreement focuses on teacher training and school leadership development.

The youth and sports framework outlines collaboration on related programmes.

The higher education agreement includes cooperation in tertiary education and vocational training.

The defence memorandum provides for cooperation in education, training and research.

The academic agreement sets out provisions for exchange and collaboration between institutions.

President Muizzu was received with a 21-gun salute on arrival.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold bilateral talks during the visit.

The President is also expected to attend the Maldives–Sri Lanka Business Forum and meet Maldivians living in Sri Lanka.