Maldives Foreign Minister to meet Jaishankar during two-day visit to India from July 11

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid will be on a two-day official visit to India from July 11 during which he will discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid will be on a two-day official visit to India from July 11 during which he will discuss bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. Both Ministers will also witness an exchange of project development agreements under Indian grant assistance.

A Ministry of External Affairs release said Maldives Foreign Minister Shahid will deliver the 43rd Sapru House Lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi. The release said Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in Prime Minister's vision of 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and the 'Neighbourhood First Policy'.

"The Maldives Foreign Minister's visit is in continuation of the series of high-level visits from both sides and is expected to lend further momentum to the substantive bilateral cooperation between the two countries," it said. Abdullah Shahid said in a tweet that his visit is in keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges between Maldives and India.

"Keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges between #Maldives and #India, I am departing to New Delhi on an Official Visit at the invitation of EAM @DrSJaishankar. Look forward to continuing our discussions on enhancing the #MaldivesIndiaPartnership," Shahid said. Last month, Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan and Abdulla Shahid attended the ceremony for the exchange of 10 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) between India and Maldives in Male.

Muraleedharan noted that MoUs will facilitate the implementation of development projects in areas like arts, sports, education and health under India's grant assistance. Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh had visited Maldives in May on a three-day official visit at the invitation of his Maldivian counterpart, Mariya Ahmed Didi, and held bilateral delegation-level talks to further strengthen the defence and security partnership. India also handed over a fast patrol vessel along with an assault landing craft to the Maldives National Defence Forces (MNDF) in a formal ceremony on May 2, 2023. (ANI)

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