The key agreements exchanged between the governments of Maldives and India as part of India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan’s ongoing visit to the Maldives, will foster greater collaboration, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The President said this during a courtesy call paid by the Indian State Minister on him during the President’s ongoing official visit to southernmost Addu City.

Taking to Twitter following the meeting, State Minister Muraleedharan revealed that the time-tested and trustworthy partnership between India and the Maldives is poised to scale further new heights.

During the call, President Solih extended condolences to the government of India and the affected families following the tragic train accident that took hundreds of lives in Odisha State. The president assured that the government and people of Maldives will remain in steadfast solidarity with the people and government of India during this difficult and challenging time. Conveying best wishes for a successful recovery operation, President Solih conveyed his warmest regards to President of India Droupadi Murmu as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

State Minister Muraleedharan expressed gratitude to the Maldivian leader for his message of condolence as well as the government’s unwavering support.

The meeting also saw President Solih expressing satisfaction over the commencement of several significant projects during the Indian State Minister’s ongoing visit to the Maldives, in particular, the Gan International Airport (GIA) expansion project as well as the Addu land reclamation project.

President Solih noted that these projects have only been made possible with the support and cooperation of the Indian government.

Highlighting that the GIA expansion project holds massive potential to mold the country's economic landscape, facilitating the establishment of a robust economic hub in the south, the president stated that the agreements under the high-impact community development project scheme signed between the two countries during the Indian State Minister’s ongoing visit are expected to encourage greater collaboration and strengthen the ties between both governments.

The president went on to express his sincere appreciation to the Indian government for its continued support in diverse domains such as infrastructure development, community empowerment, capacity building, healthcare sector advancement, sports cooperation, and tourism.

President Solih and the Indian State Minister expressed shared commitment to enhance bilateral relations through increased cooperation and people-to-people contact between Maldives and India.