New Delhi: The Foreign Secretary of the Maldives Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed and the Foreign Secretary of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla on Monday held official discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Maldives.
During the meeting, both the foreign secretaries reflected on the treasured history and closeness shared between the two countries. Earlier this year, India and Maldives celebrated the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Foreign Secretary Harsh V Shringla is on a two-day official visit to the Maldives. The visit of the Foreign Secretary is the first high-level in-person interaction between the two sides since the disruption caused by Covid-19 pandemic.
They further discussed the strengthening and deepening of the multi-faceted relationship between the Maldives and India, according to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives.
Both the foreign secretaries laid particular emphasis on the recovery and resilience efforts to curb the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, including boosting tourism, accelerating the implementation of the ongoing development cooperation projects across the Maldives, and the means of elevating connectivity and bilateral trade between the two nations.
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The discussions also included matters relating to health cooperation, cultural cooperation, human resource development, and consular and community affairs. Foreign Secretary Ghafoor expressed gratitude to the Government of India for the constant support and commitment shown to the people and the development of the Maldives.
Both the leaders further discussed the strengthening and deepening of the multi-faceted relationship between the Maldives and India.
India's Ministry of External Affairs had earlier reiterated that the Maldives occupies a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. This time-tested and enduring relationship with the Maldives strengthened and deepened even further in recent months.
India has also responded to Maldives in extending assistance in dealing with the Covid crisis.
Moreover, the Foreign Secretary's visit is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its relations with the Maldives and is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation between the two countries.
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