Japan and the Maldives have initiated visa waiver measures that would lead to the exemption of visas for all Maldivians.
The measures were kicked off after Japan and the Maldives exchanged Notes for the exemption of visa requirements for Diplomatic and Official passports for a period of 90 days.
Visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa and his Maldivian counterpart Abdullah Shahid were present at the Notes Exchange Ceremony held at the Foreign Ministry today.
Foreign Ministry said that the Exchange of Notes for the visa requirements for Diplomatic and Official passports is the first step that will eventually lead towards the waiving of visa requirements for all Maldivians.
Meanwhile, the two Foreign Ministers also witnessed the Exchange of Notes between the Government of Maldives and the Government of Japan to provide grant aid of One Hundred and Twenty-Two Million Japanese Yen to the Maldives for the continuation of scholarships opportunities to be offered by the Government of Japan for the fiscal year 2023, under the Japanese Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS).
The Foreign Ministry said that the grant will provide 6 more scholarships again this year to the Maldivian students, a project which was implemented in August 2020, by the Government of Japan for further promoting Human Resource Development in the Maldives.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Shahid led the Maldivian delegation in the official talks between the two countries today at the Foreign Ministry. After the meeting, the Minister said in a tweet that he and his Japanese counterpart agreed that both Maldives and Japan will work closely together to strengthen our dialogue, to consult regularly on all issues ranging from economic cooperation, fisheries, climate change and environment, to defense cooperation.
The Minister also said that they agreed that a Free and Open Indo-Pacific will contribute to maintaining the international order, that is based on the rule of law.
