Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid on two-day visit to India

New Delhi, April 14: Maldivian foreign minister Abdulla Shahid is to hold a two-day visit to India starting 15 April, which is expected to add to an already robust bilateral partnership between the two countries.

 

 

 

Shahid is to arrive in India on Thursday and will meet his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar on Friday for “discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest", the Ministry of External Affairs said.

 

"Foreign minister Shahid will participate in the Raisina Dialogue in virtual mode in sessions on ‘Financing for Sun’ and ‘Global public health after the Pandemic’, " the statement added.

 

 

India knows that the Maldives is a key country that contributes a lot in the Indian Ocean regions, given its role in the busiest waterways of the world as it carries trade and cargo worth trillions of dollars.

 

 

It should also be noted that China is being highly active inroads in recent years. It has been looking to increase its footprint in the Indian Ocean region with its multi-billion dollar Belt and Road Initiative and by expanding its naval presence. In 2017, China opened its first overseas base in Djibouti and is scouting for more.

 

During a visit to the Maldives in February, Jaishankar oversaw the signing of an agreement with the Maldives to extend a $50-million line of credit to strengthen Male’s maritime capabilities. A total of five pacts were signed during the visit.

 

 

“The Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbor in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a central and special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’—Security and Growth for All in the Region. Foreign minister Shahid’s visit is expected to lend further momentum to the close bilateral cooperation between the two countries," the Indian foreign ministry statement said.