India's Foreign Secretary engages in discussions with Maldives leadership

India’s Foreign Secretary, Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla has engaged in official discussions with officials from the Maldives leadership, as part of his maiden visit to the island nation.

A joint meeting was held with the Minister of National Planning, Housing and Infrastructure Mohamed Aslam, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail and Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer on Tuesday.

The discussions revolved around reviewing progress on the Maldives-India development partnership.

They also touched down on the progress on the eight Line of Credit Projects being implemented under the Lines of Credit worth USD 1.3 billion, extended by the neighboring country, to the Maldives.

In light of this, Shringla appreciated the support and involvement of these crucial ministries in speeding up the process for “smooth” project execution.

Ministers present during the meeting had expressed their satisfaction with the pace of the work and expressed confidence that four or five of the Line of Credit projects will be inaugurated in the next two months.

Further, a separate meeting with the country’s Minister of Tourism, Dr. Abdulla Mausoom was also held on Tuesday, during which the Foreign Secretary of India complimented Dr. Mausoom on the “excellent efforts” to promote Maldives as a safe travel destination.

In turn, the tourism minister acknowledged the contribution of the ‘Air Travel Bubble’ between both nations, which saw an increase in the number of tourists from the neighboring country.

Moreover, Shringla paid a courtesy call on the ruling coalition leader, leader of Adhaalath Party (AP) and Minister of Home Affairs, Sheikh Imran Abdulla where he praised AP’s contribution as a coalition partner of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s government in the success of the Maldives-India bilateral partnership.

Discussions on mutual interest including the economic recovery of the Maldives were also held in a meeting with leader of the Jumhooree Party and business tycoon Qasim Ibrahim.

Having called on another coalition leader, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as well, Shringla expressed appreciation for the valuable contribution by the Gayoom administration in shaping the “robust” ties enjoyed between Maldives and India over earlier decades.

On Tuesday, India’s Foreign Secretary also met with the leadership of the opposition coalition comprising of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress, (PNC).

During this meeting, he shed light on the traditions of democracy that both countries cherish, as well as the strength and resilience of bonds which has endured the test of time and expanded over the years.

The High Commission of India in Maldives revealed that India attaches the “highest importance” to its relationship with Maldives, which depends on historical ties, shared values of democracy and the rule of law as well as people-to-people contact.

The High Commission went on to note that Shringla’s visit “has served to reinforce” these aspects of the bilateral partnership and will “further consolidate” the friendly relations between both countries.