, July 27 -- Bangladesh and the Maldives have reaffirmed their longstanding friendship, underscoring the strong people-to-people ties and close cooperation that have formed the foundation of their bilateral relationship over the years.

During the first official visit of Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman to Male from July 25 to 27, the two countries reviewed their existing bilateral cooperation and discussed opportunities to further strengthen collaboration in areas of mutual interest, including health, education, trade and investment, tourism, labour and human resource development, and cooperation in regional and multilateral fora.

The two countries also exchanged views on regional and international developments and reaffirmed their s...