Maldives Foreign Minister to Meet Jaishankar During Two-Day Visit to India
10 July, 2023 | Anamika Singh Parihar
During this official visit, Abdullah Shahid will discuss various bilateral, regional, international, and geopolitical issues of mutual interest with his counterpart India’s foreign minister S. Jais...
Maldives foreign minister Abdullah Shahid will be visiting India from July 11. This visit by the Maldivian foreign minister is the continuation of a series of high-level visits between both countries. During this official visit, Abdullah Shahid will discuss various bilateral, regional, international, and geopolitical issues of mutual interest with his counterpart India’s foreign minister S. Jaishankar.
There will also be some discussion and exchange of project development agreements under Indian grant assistance. Last month Minister of States for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan on his visit to Male said, India and Maldives were able to develop deep and close cooperation at all levels. He also mentioned that both countries have achieved huge progress in the last few years under the leadership of PM Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih.
According to a release from the Ministry of external affairs, Abdullah Shahid will deliver the 43rd Sapru House Lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi. The release also mentioned that Maldive is India’s crucial maritime partner and neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and holds a special place in PM Modi’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ ( Security and Growth for All in the Region) and ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’.
Abdullah Shahid also tweeted that “his upcoming visit to India is in keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges between both countries”. This visit is expected to provide momentum to strategic and substantial bilateral relations. Throughout the years India and Maldives have been able to improve their cooperation on various fronts.
Both countries have also been able to closely forge their ties on political, entrepreneurial, administrative, and cultural levels as well. In a bid to strengthen the ties, both countries signed 10 MoUs during the Minister of State for External Affairs’ visit to the Male last month.
Maldives and India have now entered a new era of the relationship which has its specific importance. And, this upcoming visit will help in improving bilateral ties and provide emphasis on people-to-people exchanges. It is now interesting to see what will be the next step by both countries in this direction.