Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid on Monday departed for his two-day visit to Bangladesh on the invitation of his Bangladeshi counterpart, Sun news reported. During the visit the two nations are expected to sign two important memoranda of understanding. 

Shahid will hold bilateral talks with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin, and would also pay courtesy calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President MD Abdul Hamid.

Just before boarding on his plane at Velana International Airport, Shahid said the two nations share a special bond and acknowledged the contribution made by the Bangladeshi migrant to the Maldivian economy. 

"And at the same time, the issue of the large number of Bangladeshi nationals living in (the) Maldives unregistered needs to be solved. I will therefore address these issues during my visit,” Shahid was quoted as saying by Sun. 

Media reports indicated around 63,000 Bangladeshi nationals are living unregistered in the Maldives. And the Maldives government has already repatriated more than 12,000 of them via special flights. 

During the visit, two MOUs related to human resource placement and Foreign Service Academy are to be signed.