Maldives HC expresses deep concern over growing disconnect with Sri Lanka

The Maldives extends an open hand; will Sri Lanka take it?

- BY SANATH NANAYAKKARE

At a recent press conference in Colombo announcing the Hotel Asia Exhibition & International Culinary Challenge 2025, Maldives’ High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Masood Imad, delivered a poignant message: Sri Lanka must rekindle its historic bond with the Maldives, one rooted in mutual trust, economic partnership, and cultural kinship. His remarks struck a chord, urging policymakers and business leaders to reflect on why the once-flourishing relationship has frayed and how it can be restored.

"Many Sri Lankans don’t even understand Maldivian tourists," he lamented, highlighting how Maldivians often feel unwelcome in Sri Lanka despite their longstanding ties. He reminisced about the 1950s and 1960s, when the two nations operated in seamless harmony when Maldive fish was a cherished export to Sri Lanka, and Ceylon Tours pioneered Maldivian tourism before the archipelago became a luxury hotspot.