India’s Foreign Secretary to arrive in Maldives on Sunday

India’s Foreign Secretary, Harsh Vardhan Shringla will arrive in the Maldives on an official visit, on Sunday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that Shringla is arriving on an official invitation extended by the Maldives Foreign Secretary, Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed.

In a statement, the ministry stated that the Indian Foreign Secretary will be visiting Maldives from 8 – 10 November.

During his visit, discussions will be held regarding the ongoing projects under the Indian Grant Assistance as well as decisions announced at the Joint Commission Meeting held at New Delhi in December 2019.

International media also reports that Shringla will be holding talks regarding bilateral ties as well as the Covid-19 situation and India’s assistance in response efforts.

Shringla is also set to pay a courtesy call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during his visit.

He will also be engaging in discussions with the Speaker of Parliament and Former President Mohamed Nasheed, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail, Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam as well as the Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom.

This will be Shringla’s first visit to the Maldives since being appointed the 33rd Foreign Secretary of the neighboring country on January 29. Further, this will also be his third official visit since appointment; he earlier visited Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The neighboring country has been extending various assistance to the island nation amid the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes assisting in the repatriation of Maldivians stranded abroad when the virus broke out, donating essential medicines, necessities and a rapid response team.