Indian Minister of External Affairs of India H.E. Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has departed from the Maldives today after concluding his official visit to the Maldives.
The External Affairs Minister arrived in the Maldives on 20 February 2021.
During the visit, the Minister of External Affairs called on the President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.
He also met with his counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, where both Ministers reviewed the gamut of development cooperation projects and discussed strengthening of cooperation in various avenues. The External Affairs Minister met with the Minister of Defence Mariya Didi, where both Ministers reaffirmed that defense cooperation constitutes an integral part of the bilateral relationship.
The External Affairs Minister also held a joint meeting with the Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, the Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail, and the Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam, where the discussions focused on the projects currently in various stages of implementation, under two Lines of Credit extended to the Government of Maldives, from the Government of India, through the Export-Import Bank of India.
Projects undertaken with the Indian grant assistance in Hulhumalé Park, and to renovate Hulhumalé West-side Jetty was inaugurated during his visit.
The External Affairs Minister also attended a ceremony at Ekuveni Track, where the strengthening sports cooperation between the Maldives and India was celebrated. The renovation of the Ekuveni track was partially financed with Indian grant assistance, and recently inaugurated by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
This visit marked a significant milestone for the development of bilateral relations between two countries. The two sides agreed to further intensify the cooperation and enhance the Maldives-India partnership. A number of key Agreements and MoUs were also signed during the visit.
Minister of External Affairs was seen off at Velena International Airport by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel, Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, High Commissioner of Maldives to India Dr Hussain Niyaaz, and Joint Secretary Mariyam Midhfa Naeem.
