Maldives Foreign Minister arrives in Delhi, set to attend High Level Core Group meeting

New Delhi [India], May 25 (ANI): Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Khaleel, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a three-day visit to India. Khaleel will lead the Maldivian delegation at the 2nd High Level Core Group (HLCG) meeting.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal extended a warm welcome to Khaleel.

In a post on X, Jaiswal stated, "Implementing the India - Maldives Joint Vision of a 'Comprehensive Economic & Maritime Security Partnership'. Warm welcome to FM @abkhaleel of Maldives to India. FM Dr. Khaleel will lead the Maldivian delegation at the 2nd High Level Core Group (HLCG) meeting which oversees implementation of the Joint Vision."

Earlier this month, the Centre extended support to India's maritime neighbour, Maldives by rolling over the USD 50 Million treasury bill.

Khaleel had expressed gratitude to the Indian government and hailed the timely assistance which "reflects the close bonds of friendship" between the two countries.

In the statement shared on X, the High Commision of India to Maldives said, "India extends financial support to the Maldives through the rollover of the USD 50 million Treasury Bill."

According to the statement, after the request by the Government of Maldives, the State Bank of India (SBI) has subscribed, for one more year, a USD 50 million Government Treasury Bill issued by the Ministry of Finance of Maldives.

It was noted that since March 2019, India has been facilitating the subscription of several such Treasury Bills by the SBI and rolling them over annually interest-free to the Government of Maldives. This is a part of the unique government-to-government arrangement between the two countries that serves as emergency financial assistance to the maritime neighbour.

Extending gratitude to the Indian Government, Khaleel in a post on X stated, "I express my sincere gratitude to EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for extending crucial financial support to the #Maldives through the rollover of the USD 50 million Treasury Bill. This timely assistance reflects the close bonds of friendship between #Maldives & #India and will support the Government's ongoing efforts to implement fiscal reforms for economic resilience." (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)