PM keen to work with Maldives on climate issues

Newly appointed High Commissioner of the Maldives Ahmed Sareer calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the city yesterday. Photo: PID

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her desire to work with the Maldives regarding climate change issues and global warming that put both the countries in danger.
She said both Bangladesh and the Maldives are in the front line among the most vulnerable countries of the world due to the global warming and the impact of climate change, which are mainly caused by the developed countries.
Hasina made the remarks when newly appointed Maldives High Commissioner to Bangladesh Ahmed Sareer called on her at the Prime Minister's Office in the city.
The PM said the bilateral relations, including economic cooperation, between the two friendly countries would have to be expanded.
In this regard, she said the Maldives could import pharmaceutical items, ceramics, and readymade garments from Bangladesh, which are of high quality and produced here in abundance.
“The Maldives can import these items from here, as they import from different countries,” she said.
Sareer told the PM that the Maldives president took an initiative to hold a summit titled
'Asia Summit on Climate Change Issue' for having a common platform before the next 16th United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) scheduled to be held in Mexico.
Hasina appreciated the move of the Maldives president about the adverse impact of the climate change.
She also emphasized on united effort to eradicate poverty from the Saarc region. “We are working hard on poverty alleviation and to upgrade the living standard of the people.”
Hasina said poverty is the common problem of the region and “we will have to work unitedly to eradicate poverty from the region.”
Deputy Press Secretary to the Prime Minister M Nazrul Islam briefed reporters after the meeting.
Hasina also urged the Maldives envoy to work jointly for flourishing tourism between the two countries.
The PM recalled that Bangladesh and the Maldives have a historic tie and relations. The Maldives could take teachers and doctors from Bangladesh, she said.
While Sareer sought assistance for setting up a Bangladesh-Maldives University in the
Maldives, Hasina assured him of all possible cooperation in this regard.
She also asked the envoy to legalise the unregistered Bangladeshis working in the Maldives. According to available statistics, around 45,000 Bangladeshi expatriates are now working in the Maldives. Some of them are still unregistered.
The envoy conveyed his government's thanks to the PM as many students from Maldives are studying in Bangladesh in different academic institutions including universities.
He urged her to increase the number of such students and said his government is eager to take more teachers and doctors from Bangladesh.