Bangladesh–Maldives relations

Bangladesh and Maldives established diplomatic relations in 1978.

Bangladesh-Maldives relations

Bangladesh

Maldives
Diplomatic mission
High Commission of Bangladesh, MaléHigh Commission of the Maldives, Dhaka
Envoy
Acting High Commissoner Md Sohel ParvezHigh Commissoner Shiuneen Rasheed

History

edit

The 14th-century Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta identified Sultan Salahuddin Salih as a Bengali and credited him for the establishment of a new dynasty in the Maldives including his son Omar I and a granddaughter, Khadijah.[1][2][3] Other records have also mentioned a granddaughter of Alauddin Husain Shah being a queen in the Maldives too.[4]

The Maldives and Bangladesh established diplomatic relations on 22 September 1978. The Maldives opened its High Commission in Bangladesh in 2008.[5] In 2011, the Maldives government removed duty on all Bangladesh exports to the country.[6] In 2011, Bangladesh Army gave Maldives National Defence Force 7 military trucks.[7] Maldives closed its High Commission in Dhaka in March 2014 after the foreign ministry budget was slashed by 40 percent. Bangladesh offered to pay rent for embassy premises among other local costs but was refused "politely" by Maldives.[5]

In December 2014, Bangladesh sent 100 thousand litres of water after Maldives' sole water desalination plant stopped working after catching fire.[8] Maldives announced its intention to reopen the High Commission in Dhaka in July 2015.[9] The BNS Somudra Avijan delivered to the Maldives more than 100 metric tons of food, medicine and medical equipment in COVID-19 pandemic assistance in April 2020.[10] A Bangladesh Air Force medical team supported Maldives in their COVID-19 vaccination program in 2021.[11]

Economic relations

edit

The Maldives has a significant Bangladeshi migrant worker population and has encouraged the migration of Bangladeshi workers.[12][13] Bangladesh has a High Commission in the Maldives.[14] Maldivian government regularized the immigration status of more than 16 thousand Bangladeshi migrants on 2009.[15] In 2011 Bangladesh exported goods worth US$0.72 million and imported US$1.46 million from Maldives.[6] Official estimated suggest there are 70 to 80 thousand Bangladeshis in the Maldives. On 30 March 2015, the Bangladeshi expatriate community held a protest outside the Bangladeshi High Commission to protest against the death of two Bangladeshi expatriates. The Maldivian government warned that the protesters risked losing their visas. Ahmed Tholal, the Vice President of Human Rights Commission in Maldives, called the government move unconstitutional.[16] Bangladesh also exports pharmaceutical medicine to Maldives.[17]

Representatives

edit

High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Maldives

edit

High Commissioner of the Maldives to Bangladesh

edit
  • Abdul Samad Abdulla (29 April 2008 – 4 February 2009)
  • Ahmed Sareer (1 December 2009 – 12 February 2012)
  • Mohamed Asim (17 November 2015 – 13 July 2016)
  • Aishath Shaan Shakir (23 May 2017 – 30 October 2020)
  • Shiruzimath Sameer (29 December 2020 – 30 November 2023)
  • Shiuneen Rasheed (3 July 2024 – present)

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Ibn Battuta (1953). "The Maldive Islands (Dhibat-ul-Mahal)". In Husain, Syed Mahdi (ed.). The Rehla of Ibn Battuta. Baroda Oriental Institute. p. 204.
  2. ^ Kalus, Ludvik; Claude, Guillot (2005). "Inscriptions islamiques en arabe de l'archipel des Maldives" [Islamic inscriptions in Arabic from the Maldives archipelago]. Archipel (in French). 70. Paris, France: 25. doi:10.3406/arch.2005.3971.
  3. ^ Talib, Abdul Mannan (1980). বাংলাদেশে ইসলাম [Islam in Bangladesh] (in Bengali). Adhunika Prakasani. p. 58.
  4. ^ Mukherjee, Rila, ed. (2011). "Further commonalities: networks of religion, diplomacy, politics and economics". Pelagic Passageways: The Northern Bay of Bengal Before Colonialism. Primus Books. p. 115. ISBN 9789380607207.
  5. ^ a b "Maldives closes Dhaka mission today". The Daily Star. 1 April 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Maldives eyes direct shipping link with Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Bangladesh Army chief meets Maldives President". banglanews24.com. 18 January 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Bangladesh sends water to aid Maldives' crisis". The Daily Star. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Maldives to reopen Dhaka mission". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  10. ^ Uddin, A F M Ahsan (15 April 2020). "Logistics Operation to Maldives – True Example of Naval Diplomacy". Daily Sun. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  11. ^ "The Government of Bangladesh deploys medical team to support the vaccination program in Maldives". Maldives Gov. 3 March 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Bangladesh seeks stronger trade ties with Maldives". maldivesindependent.com. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Maldives keen to recruit more workers from Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 2 August 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Newly appointed Bangladesh high commissioner to Maldives makes a courtesy call on President". BSS. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  15. ^ "16,100 Bangladeshi workers in Maldives to be regularised". The Daily Star. 1 November 2009. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  16. ^ "Bangladeshi expats to protest 2 compatriots' death in Maldives". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  17. ^ Bachar, Sitesh Chandra. "Pharmaceutical Industry". Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.