Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has held discussions with his Bangladeshi counterpart AK Abdul Momen on the possibility of repatriating Maldivians who remain stranded in Bangladesh amidst various restrictions on movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The discussions held over the phone were intended to explore possible avenues of the evacuation of Maldivians in Bangladesh which is a preferred destination of Maldivians to pursue higher education in medicine. The ministry earlier said it is putting in efforts to bring 41 stranded Maldivians in Bangladesh.
The government has been making arrangements to evacuate Maldivians stranded in other countries as well, in addition to Bangladesh. The government says the biggest challenge is the suspension of air travel and the closing of air space due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Foreign Minister Shahid has held discussions with India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia and had arranged for Maldivians stranded in those three countries to return back home.