EAM Jaishankar arrives in Maldives to deepen bilateral engagement

Male, Mar 26 (PTI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar arrived here on Saturday as part of his five-day two-nation visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka to explore the possibilities of further expansion of bilateral engagements with the two key maritime neighbours of India.

Jaishankar was received by Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid at the Male airport. “Arrived in Maldives to a warm welcome by FM @abdulla_shahid. Looking forward to my talks with him this evening. #IndiaMaldives special partnership poised to deepen further,” the minister tweeted.

During his stay in the Maldives, Jaishankar will inaugurate a number of India-supported projects and firm up several agreements to further bolster bilateral cooperation. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said during his visit to the Maldivian city of Addu from March 26 to March 27, Jaishankar will call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and hold discussions with Foreign Minister Shahid.

“The external affairs minister’s visit will see the signing of several agreements related to the bilateral development cooperation, inauguration/handing-over and launch of a number of key India-supported projects that will contribute to the socio-economic development of the Maldives and enhance its security,” the MEA said in a statement.

The Maldives is one of India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean region and the bilateral defence and security ties have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years. Jaishankar will visit Sri Lanka from March 28 to March 30. “Both Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy special place in the prime minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ and Neighbourhood First,” the MEA said.

PTI SCY SCY