Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid meets External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar; discusses SAARC, OIC

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, April 16

Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday, their eighth meeting since November 2018 when a new government under President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took office in Maldives.

This visit took place on the heels of Jaishankar’s visit to the Maldives in February this year.

Both ministers exchanged views on international organisations, including UN, Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), the Commonwealth and SAARC, besides regional and international issues and avenues of Indian assistance in combating the pandemic in the Maldives, said sources.

The Maldives’ minister requested New Delhi to renew DGFT notifications regarding assured supply of essential commodities to Maldives from India as per the bilateral trade agreement.

Jaishankar assured that the Indian commitment will be honoured, said the sources.

Jaishankar re-affirmed India’s support for Maldives’ candidacy as the President of the 76th UN General Assembly. 

They also expressed satisfaction with the growing number of Indian tourists visiting Maldives, which is aiding Maldivian economy in these difficult times.

Under the bilateral air bubble arrangement, India is already the number one tourist market for Maldives with Indian tourists occupying 23 per cent of international tourist arrivals in Maldives.

They also reviewed the status of ongoing India-assisted projects in Maldives. Currently, India is developing projects of $2bn spanning across large infrastructure such as ports, roads, bridges, water and sanitation, as well as socio-economic development directly impacting livelihoods of Maldivians.