Pakistan to assist Maldives with 5 million tree initiative

Pakistan has agreed to assist Maldives in delivering President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s pledge to plant 5 million trees in the Indian Ocean island nation.

President Muizzu met with the caretaker Pakistan Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday, on the sidelines of the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28).

At the meeting, PM Kakar congratulated President Muizzu on his assumption of office, and expressed a keen interest in enhancing bilateral relations between the Maldives and Pakistan.

Both leaders engaged in discussions on mutual interests and shared values, and explored areas for cooperation.

Additionally, the two leaders agreed to work together, to fulfill the president’s pledge to plant 5 million trees across the Maldives.

President Muizzu had announced the initiative in his address at the COP28 on Friday.

In addition to the tree plantation project, President Muizzu also announced plans to install renewable energy systems that can meet 33 percent of the country’s electricity demand in the next five years.

President Muizzu has been meeting a number of world leaders on the sidelines of the COP28. This includes Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who he met on Friday. At the meeting, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.

They also highlighted the importance of development and economic cooperation, people-to-people contacts between the two countries and discussed ways to enhance this, including setting up a high level committee.