New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said India-Male cooperation has enhanced the security and well-being of Maldives through shared activities, equipment provisioning, capacity building and training.
Jaishankar made this remark during his meeting with Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, who is on his first official visit to New Delhi.
Jaishankar further said, "As close and proximate neighbours, the development of our ties is obviously based on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity. As far as India is concerned, these are articulated in terms of our Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR vision".
"I hope that our meeting today has enabled us to strengthen the convergence of our perspectives in various domains", added Jaishankar.
During the meeting with his Maldivian counterpart, Jaishankar noted that India has been a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives.
"Our projects have benefited the lives of people of your country; contributed directly to the quality of life. They range from infrastructure projects and social initiatives to medical evacuation and health facilities. We have also extended financial support on favourable terms in the past", he said.
He said that India has been a First Responder on numerous occasions for Maldives. "Our cooperation has also enhanced the security and well-being of your country through shared activities, equipment provisioning, capacity building and training", said Jaishankar.
"World is today passing through a volatile and uncertain period. In such times, as we saw during Covid, during natural disasters and economic difficulties, close partnerships with neighbours are of great value", Jaishankar said.
"It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding on how best we take our relationship forward", the External Affairs Minister noted.
Zameer's visit comes ahead of the May 10 deadline set by the Maldives for India to withdraw its military troops from the archipelago and replace them with civilians.
The foreign minister's visit is expected to strengthen the frosty relations between India and Maldives, which is very crucial in the face of the growing Chinese hegemony in the Indo-Pacific.
However, Zameer also discussed President Mohamed Muizzu's likely trip to India, MEA sources said. During his visit, the Maldivian foreign minister is expected to seek leniency for repayment of loans and restore ties with India amid the pro-China stance of President Muizzu.