Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Sunday that Turkey and the Maldives have agreed to establish a joint economic committee.

In an official visit to the archipelagic nation, Çavuşoğlu held a joint press conference with his Maldivian counterpart, Abdulla Shahid, in the capital Male, noting that this committee would deepen their economic cooperation and increase bilateral trade volume.

Çavusoğlu underlined that the two countries bilateral trade volume had doubled last year, adding that one of the agreements signed during his visit was on trade and economic cooperation.

The countries aim to increase their trade volume to $100 million (TL 1.3 billion) over the next two years, he said, emphasizing that interest in the Maldives is rising among Turkish business circles and investors.

With many Turkish firms particularly keen on investing in the Maldives' tourism sector, Çavusoğlu said that the country is an extremely popular tourist destination among Turkish citizens, adding that there are plans to increase the number of flights between the countries.

Diplomatic cooperation

Congratulating Shahid on his election as president of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, Çavuşoğlu said this was an indicator of the international community's confidence in the Maldives.

He underlined that Turkey would keep supporting the Maldives in international fora, stating that their cooperation and coordination would continue at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the U.N., and other platforms.

Çavuşoğlu also stressed that Male had Ankara's backing in its bid to host the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Climate change is another common concern between Turkey and the Maldives, and the two countries have signed a cooperation agreement on this issue, he stated.

He said that the two countries would maintain their cooperation and continue exchanging ideas on climate change and the environment. Turkey favors financial and technical support for fragile and least developed countries over environmental issues and climate.

Counterterrorism

Çavuşoğlu noted that the fight against terrorism and radicalism was another area of bilateral cooperation and a priority for Turkey.

Expressing Ankara's readiness to share its experience on these issues with the Maldives, Çavuşoğlu urged Shahid to be "careful and vigilant" about the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), which was behind the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey and has a considerable presence outside of the country. FETÖ and its United States-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, in Turkey, which left 251 people killed and nearly 2,200 injured.

Cavuşoğlu invited Shahid to the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, slated to be held in March in the Turkish Mediterranean resort city of Antalya.

He said they had also discussed religious cooperation, including the establishment of an Islamic Center.

The two countries signed cooperation agreements in trade, economy and culture, and memorandums of understanding were signed between the agricultural and environmental fields and the diplomatic academies.

Ankara accuses FETÖ of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

Visa-free travel

For his part, Shahid also said that during their talks, he and Çavuşoğlu touched on important issues and discussed different areas of cooperation such as education, youth, sports, health, tourism, fishing, agriculture, environment, climate change and combating terrorism.

He said that the cultural cooperation agreement they signed sought to expand cultural ties between the Maldives and Turkey.

Turkey and the Maldives will continue supporting each other in multilateral relations, as well as in bilateral ties, Shahid said, including within the OIC.

He also said Male was evaluating Turkey's proposal for visa-free travel between them, stressing that such a move could strengthen their already close relations.

Maldives-Turkey relations have grown further with Turkey's support, especially for socio-economic development, Shahid emphasized.