Malé, Maldives – Minister of Youth and Sports of Sri Lanka Namal Rajapaksa arrived in the Maldives this morning ahead of the Maldives-Sri Lanka match in the Ooredoo SAFF Championship 2021.
Maldives Sports Minister Mahloof greeted Namal Rajapaksa at the Velana International Airport.
The Sri Lankan Sports Minister paid a courtesy call to the President and
The Minister thanked the President for meeting with him, highlighting the long-standing mutual relationship between the Maldives and Sri Lanka. President Solih inquired on the Covid-19 recovery efforts in Sri Lanka, stating that tourism had picked up in the Maldives with the reopening of borders last year.
The Minister noted that Sri Lanka was in the process of reopening its borders as well and that the recovery of tourism in the Maldives is likewise beneficial to close neighbours. He revealed that Sri Lanka expects to increase the number of flights from the Maldives with the addition of a new southern airport.
In addition to discussing the SAFF Championship the President and Minister also discussed the upcoming COP26 conference to be held in Glasgow, United Kingdom.
State Minister of Digital Technology and Enterprise Development Rajapaksa also paid a visit to the Minister of Technology of Maldives Aminath Shauna to discuss discussed possible opportunities to collaborate and develop the tech industry together.
Rajapaksa is scheduled to return to Sri Lanka this evening.
