Azerbaijan, Maldives explore new opportunities in trade, tourism, energy PHOTO

From January 13 to 15, 2024, a government delegation from Azerbaijan, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov, made an official visit to the Maldives.

During the visit, Deputy Minister Elnur Mammadov met with the Vice President of the Republic of the Maldives, Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Caliber.Az reports, citing Foreign Ministry.

Additionally, a bilateral meeting was held between E. Mammadov and the Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mohamed Saeed. 

The meetings reflected the Maldivian side's high regard for the Azerbaijani government delegation, with both parties discussing issues of mutual interest. As part of the visit, the two sides held the first political consultations between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.

Elnur Mammadov led the political consultations on behalf of Azerbaijan, while Fathimath Inaya, the Maldivian Foreign Secretary, represented the Maldives. During the consultations, they discussed expanding bilateral and multilateral political relations, as well as cooperation in areas such as economics, trade, energy, logistics, transportation, tourism, humanitarian affairs, and other sectors, considering the current state and future prospects of such cooperation.

Both sides assessed their cooperation within international organizations positively and emphasized the importance of strengthening mutual support in multilateral formats.

The relevant state institutions of the Maldives and numerous local companies organized a series of informative forums for the members of the Azerbaijani delegation, which included representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, State Tourism Agency, and Azerbaijani companies operating in the country.

During these forums, the hosts made detailed presentations on investment opportunities in tourism, hospitality, transportation, and other sectors in the Maldives, followed by substantive discussions. The delegation also toured various industrial zones in the Maldives during the visit.

By Aghakazim Guliyev