Historic Treaty Signing to Combat Cross-Border Crime

COLOMBO (News 1st); Maldives and Sri Lanka on Monday (28) signed a treaty to offer mutual legal assistance on criminal matters.

The treaty was signed between the two countries during the ongoing official visit to the Maldives by the President of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

The treaty was signed on behalf of the Maldives by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Abdulla Khaleel while his Sri Lankan counterpart, Vijitha Herath signed for Sri Lanka.

The signing was witnessed by the two Presidents during a ceremony held at the President’s Office.

The treaty stipulates that cases submitted will be received, examined and processed by the Central Authority established in the respective country, the Maldives Foreign Ministry added.

In addition, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and Anura Kumara Dissanayake witnessed the exchange of a key Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Republic of Maldives and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

The Memorandum of Understanding on Diplomatic Training and the Exchange of Information and Documents was signed between the Foreign Service Institute of Maldives (FOSIM), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives, and the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

The MoU outlines cooperation in diplomatic training, knowledge-sharing, and the exchange of institutional resources and documentation.

The signing of these agreements underscores the commitment of both nations to deepen collaboration in the fields of diplomacy and legal affairs, further reinforcing the longstanding bilateral ties between the Maldives and Sri Lanka.