<span style="color: #222222;">Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid reached Colombo last night on a three-day visit to Sri Lanka to have talks with the new Government. <br />''<br />''In a message before his departure, he said Maldives-Sri Lankan friendship and cooperation dates back centuries and he looks forward to productive meetings to further consolidate excellent relationship between the two countries. <br />''<br />''During the visit, Minister Shahid will pay courtesy calls on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. He will also hold bilateral talks with Sri Lankan foreign minister Dinesh Gunawardena. Colombo has a big Maldivian diaspora, considered second only to Male.</span><br />