Male/New Delhi, Aug 9 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday evening arrived in the Maldives, and said he is looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership.
The EAM was received by his Maldivian counterpart Moosa Zameer at the Velana International Airport on his arrival.
In a post on X, the EAM said:
“Pleased to arrive in Maldives. Thank Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer for receiving me at the airport.
“Maldives occupies an important place in our vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’ & ‘SAGAR’.
“Looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership.”
In a statement on Thursday, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry said Minister Jaishankar is undertaking the visit from August 9 to 11 at the invitation of his Maldivian counterpart, Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer.
As per the Ministry, Minister Jaishankar, during this trip, will pay a courtesy call on President Mohamed Muizzu.
He will also hold official talks with his counterpart, Minister Zameer, to review the existing bilateral cooperation. Both ministers are also set to inaugurate the completed projects under the High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) and Line of Credit facility of EXIM Bank of India and witness the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding on areas for capacity building, commerce and trade.
This visit marks EAM Jaishankar’s first to the Maldives since assuming office for a second term in June.
President Muizzu met with the EAM in June during his official visit to India to attend the inauguration of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third term.
Maldivian Foreign Minister Zameer has also undertaken an official visit to India in May.
Currently, Maldivian Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal is in India, to promote Maldives as a tourist destination.
The strain in longstanding relations between Male’ and New Delhi appears to be thawing, sun.mv reported.
Relations between Male’ and New Delhi had grown strained after the ‘India Out’ campaign calling for the removal of Indian troops in the Maldives, led by some senior officials of the incumbent Maldivian administration, back when they had been the opposition. Things escalated further after three Maldivian deputy ministers made disparaging remarks regarding India and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the social media platform X.
Officials from both Male’ and Delhi have expressed keenness to maintain relations between the two countries.
UNI RN