Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has departed from Maafaru International Airport after concluding his two-day official visit to the Maldives.
Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar arrived in the Maldives on January 18 and called on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and met with his counterpart Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, where both ministers reviewed the development cooperation projects and discussed strengthening collaboration in various avenues. They also discussed the projects in various stages of implementation, under the grants and five lines of credit extended to the government of Maldives, from the government of India, through the EXIM Bank of India.
Additionally, Minister Shahid and Minister Jaishankar witnessed the exchange of three key agreements including the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of USD6.5 million to undertake additional High Impact Community Development Projects and the MoU for the establishment of the Gadhdhoo Sports Complex. An MoU was also exchanged on capacity building to facilitate exchanges and cooperative initiatives between Maldives National University (MNU) and Cochin University of Science and Technology.
Furthermore, Minister Jaishankar attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport Development Project being constructed under the Indian line of credit facilitated by the government of India valued at USD137 million. In addition, Minister Shahid and Minister Jaishankar jointly inaugurated the Foakaidhoo Community Centre, a project valued at USD338,000 completed under the Indian grant assistance scheme of USD6.9 million provided in 2019. They agreed to further intensify the cooperation and enhance the Maldives-India partnership.
During the visit, Minister Jaishankar also visited Utheemu in Haa Alifu Atoll and toured the historical sites.