Maldives and Sri Lanka on Wednesday held discussions to strengthen bilateral ties after Sri Lanka raised concerns last month over the developments in Maldives.

Maldives Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon, currently on a visit to Colombo, met Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe Wednesday, and they held "constructive discussions" on cementing relationship, the Maldives Foreign Ministry said.

Maumoon had called for Sri Lanka not to allow any third country to influence the ties between Sri Lanka and Maldives last week following media reports that some countries were applying pressure on the Sri Lankan government to publicly express concerns about the Maldives.

Maumoon said there were a range of agreements between Maldives and Sri Lanka, and the Health and Education Ministry of the Maldives was discussing with their Sri Lankan counterpart ways to further expand cooperation between the two sides.

She said the two countries were also working closely in the field of tourism, and the Maldivian High Commission in Colombo was also working to expand cultural cooperation.

The Sri Lankan government in a statement expressed hope that the Maldives will take steps to ensure that the recent developments in Maldives will not reverse its hard-won achievements.

(Xinhua)