Pakistan, Maldives Set $200m Trade Goal and Sign 20 Agreements

Pakistan and the Maldives have agreed to increase their annual bilateral trade from approximately $13.9 million to $200 million within two years. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu announced the target in Islamabad on Wednesday after holding talks during the visiting leader’s three-day state visit.

The two countries also exchanged 20 agreements and memoranda of understanding covering trade, information technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, defence, maritime security, healthcare, education, agriculture, fisheries, tourism and environmental cooperation. The leaders said the arrangements were intended to broaden a relationship that has historically been warm but economically limited.

Reaching the proposed trade level would require an increase of more than fourteen times from the current volume. Both governments said stronger commercial engagement, investment, improved connectivity and the implementation of the newly signed agreements would be essential if the target is to be achieved within the announced period.

Shehbaz said the existing level of commerce represented only a small portion of the two countries’ economic potential. He pledged to work directly with Muizzu to move the agreements beyond diplomatic paperwork and ensure that the relevant ministries and institutions begin implementing them promptly.

Muizzu endorsed the trade goal and said bilateral agreements would matter only if they produced practical benefits for citizens and businesses. He identified investment, tourism and connectivity as priority areas and said a Pakistan-Maldives Business Forum would bring together investors and business leaders to explore commercial partnerships.

Technology and professional services are expected to form an important part of the expanded relationship. Pakistan offered technical assistance for information-technology projects and data centres, while the two sides agreed to pursue cooperation in digital skills, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence. Healthcare cooperation could also expand through additional educational placements, internships and professional opportunities for Maldivian students and medical graduates.

The talks also addressed transport and tourism links, including discussions about establishing direct flights. Improved air connectivity could reduce travel barriers for tourists, students, healthcare professionals and businesses, while supporting joint promotion of halal and Muslim-friendly tourism.

Environmental cooperation produced a more specific commitment. Pakistan will provide 100,000 olive cuttings and 100,000 seeds from other plant species to support the Maldives’ campaign to plant five million trees. Muizzu described climate change as a direct threat to his island nation’s security and development and called for collaboration in conservation, renewable energy, waste management and climate resilience.

The visit is the first by a Maldivian president to Pakistan in 11 years and coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Around 250 Pakistani doctors, alongside paramedical personnel, are already working in the Maldives, while Maldivian students have attended Pakistani educational institutions under existing assistance programmes.

The immediate test will be whether the two governments establish measurable implementation plans for the agreements. The scale of the trade target makes stronger transport links, private-sector participation and regular monitoring particularly important, with the planned business forum providing the first opportunity to turn the diplomatic commitments into commercial projects.