Bangladesh, Maldives discuss to exploit oceanic resources

State minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam on Tuesday called on Maldives president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in Male on the sidelines of the 4th Indian Ocean Conference.

At the outset, the state minister conveyed the greetings of Bangladesh president Abdul Hamid and prime minister Sheikh Hasina to president Solih, said a press release.

During their meeting, cooperation on ocean and maritime issues was discussed and both sides stressed the need for sustainable harnessing of oceanic resources.

The need for exchanging of intelligence information for combating terrorism was also discussed, the press release added.

The Maldivian president sought greater support from Bangladesh in the area of medical education for prospective students from his country.

State minister Shahriar Alam is leading the Bangladesh delegation to the 4th Indian Ocean Conference, organised by India Foundation in association with the Government of Maldives and S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore on 3-4 September 2019, the release said.

He is also a member of the IOC Organising Committee. The theme of IOC 2019 is “Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non-Traditional Challenges”.