Indian minister concludes visit to Maldives

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has departed after a two-day official visit to Maldives.

The minister arrived in the archipelago nation on Sunday afternoon, on the invitation of Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid.

Minister Swaraj met with Shahid in the evening, while a joint ministerial meeting was held at the foreign ministry later.

During her visit, the two nations signed three agreements. They are;

1. Agreement on Exemption from Visa Requirement for Holders of Diplomatic and Official Passports;
2. Memorandum of Understanding regarding Indian Grant Assistance for Implementation of High Impact Community Development Projects through Local Bodies; and
3. Memorandum of Understanding on Collaboration in the Field of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

She called on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday morning, and also held separate meetings with parliament Speaker Qasim Ibrahim and Home Minister Imran Abdulla during the visit.

Her last engagement of the trip was a meeting with former President Mohamed Nasheed, who the external affairs ministry described as an "old and cherished friend."

Swaraj visited Indhira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH)- gifted by the Indian government in 1995- on Sunday night, where she unveiled a plaque dedicating the renovated hospital to the Maldivian people.

Swaraj is the first foreign minister to visit the archipelago nation since Shahid assumed office in November 2018, and a special dinner was held in her honour on Sunday night.

While Maldives' ties with India had evidently weakened during former President Abdulla Yameen's tenure, things have vastly improved since the new administration's take over in November.

Both Maldives and India have said that the minister's visit will further "strengthen" the bilateral ties between both nations.