Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has stated that India has been an instrumental partner in the development trajectory of Maldives.

He said this in his remarks at the signing ceremony for Memorandums of Understanding for seven key projects under the High-Impact Community Development scheme, on Monday.

As such, FM Shahid expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Indian government for their “continuous” support and “valuable” contribution towards the development of the island nation.

He added that the assistance India has provided through grants and lines of credit are undoubtedly few of “many” examples of how socio-economic cooperation is contributing to the momentum of the development of our relations.

Highlighting that the relationship between Maldives and India have reached new heights throughout the past five decades, FM Shahid noted that India has now become the “closest” development partner of Maldives and a “friend” that the government of Maldives can always rely on.

Further, the Foreign Minister stated that the leadership shown by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has steered the partnership of India and Maldives into a new era which has been characterized by prosperity, development and mutual benefit for our countries.

Expressing hope that the long-lasting friendship between the two countries continues to prosper in the coming years, FM Shahid stated that the Maldives-India relationship is that of the people’s and one that remains unhindered by time and predates formalities.