Maldives to employ Bangladeshis, regularise undocumented workers
The Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said the Maldives put emphasis on regularisation of undocumented Bangladeshi workers to ensure their basic rights in his country
MIGRATION
- Around one lakh Bangladeshis are working in Maldives
- Maldives put emphasis on regularisation of undocumented Bangladeshis
- It reiterated its support to Bangladesh on Rohingya issues
- President of the Maldives will visit Dhaka to attend Mujib Borsho functions
Visiting Foreign Minister of the Maldives Abdulla Shahid said his country would recruit workers from Bangladesh on solid legal framework to protect rights and wellbeing.
At a joint press briefing following bilateral talks at the state guest house Padma in the capital, he said the two countries would be signing two memoranda, including one on the framework to recruit human resources from Bangladesh.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his counterpart from the Maldives Abdulla Shahid led the talks from the two sides.
During the meeting, they discussed among other things extension of trade and business and enhancing connectivity.
Shahid said Bangladeshi workers played an important role in the nation of islands and its government put emphasis on regularisation of undocumented Bangladeshi workers to ensure their basic rights in that country.
Around one lakh Bangladeshi expatriates are currently working in the Maldives.
About the manpower recruitment, the Bangladeshi foreign minister said the Maldives would recruit nurses from here.
Some Bangladesh physicians have already started working there.
The president of the Maldives has already declared that all the workers, including foreigners, will get free vaccination.
"We'll send some nurses to help carry out vaccination in the Maldives, particularly for the large Bangladeshi community staying there," Momen said.
The other memorandum is meant to ensure cooperation between the Foreign Service Institute of the Maldives and the Foreign Service Academy of Bangladesh over training of foreign service workers of the two countries.
Maldives Foreign Minister Shahid expressed gratitude for Bangladesh's contributions to a variety of fields, including training and scholarship, health and medicine, defence and other technical areas.
"Bangladesh is a prepared destination for our medical interns. Bangladesh is always steadfast partner and most recently proved its generosity towards the Maldives" by supporting in the fight against the pandemic on multiple fronts, he said.
Shahid also reiterated Maldives' support to Bangladesh on the issue of Rohingya refugees.
"Maldives always advocated for the rights of the Rohingya people, and together with the government of Gambia, we seek accountability for the acts of genocide committed against the Rohingya people."
Momen said Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih would visit Dhaka to attend programmes marking Mujib Borsho and the Independence Day.
The foreign minister of the Maldives arrived here on Monday on an official visit at the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart.
He is scheduled to meet President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday before leaving the country.