Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu is expected to visit Sri Lanka in the second week of December on an official invitation of his Sri Lanka counterpart and expected to sign at least six memoranda of understanding (MOUs) related to trade, investment, tourism, and information sharing, sources said.
Muizzu’s visit comes four months after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake visited the Maldives in July this year.
During Muizzu’s three-day visit to Colombo, he is expected to sign at least six MOUs related to trade, investment, tourism, and information sharing.
“It is an official visit on the invitation of the Sri Lanka President,” a top Maldivian government source said. During Maldives visit, President Dissanayake signed two key agreements: Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement and an MoU between the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives (FOSIM) and the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute of Sri Lanka (BIDTI).
The bilateral relationship between the two Indian Ocean islands has traditionally been warm, low- key, and cooperative, underpinned by membership in the Commonwealth, SAARC, and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA).
Trade between the two nations is modest at around USD 40 million annually, mainly Sri Lankan apparel, ceramics, and food exports, while tourism flows both ways, with Maldivian patients frequently seeking advanced treatment in Colombo hospitals and students coming to fulfil higher education.
Defence and security cooperation has grown since 1988 and both nations now conduct joint naval exercises and share intelligence on piracy and trafficking.
Politically, the relationship has remained largely unaffected by regime changes in either country. President Muizzu won elections in 2023 with an “India-Out” campaign with a renewed pivot toward China via the Belt and Road Initiative. However, the anti-Indian sentiment has declined since the election.