President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has reiterated the commitment of the administration to uphold the India First Policy. He made the statement in a meeting held with the Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmahniyam Jaishankar, as part of the president’s ongoing official visit to India.
During the meeting, President Solih and Minister Jaishankar spoke about the two countries' exemplary bilateral ties, emphasising the strong resolve to further strengthen close cooperation on mutual interests. They also discussed projects in the Maldives that are being carried out with the assistance of the Indian government, including the Greater Male’ Connectivity Project, the social housing development project, and the Addu City Police Academy, among others. The external affairs minister went on to say that projects under the Maldives-India collaboration has been progressing and expressed his commitment to further accelerate the ongoing works.
Speaking at the meeting, the president expressed gratitude to the Indian government for its aid in the Maldives' socioeconomic development. He assured the external affairs minister that the Maldives would uphold the India First Policy and appreciated India’s Neighbourhood First Policy, under which the Maldives benefits immensely.
The president is currently on a four-day official visit to India upon invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A high-level Maldivian delegation and Maldivian business leaders are accompanying the president on this trip.