Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has addressed the parliament of Maldives upon the request of the new Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed.
During the address delivered at the special meeting held coinciding with the state visit of Indian Prime Minister Modi announcing India gives utmost importance to its relation with Maldives and thanked the people present in parliament. The prime minister noted he was touched the heart of every Indian and has enhanced their respect and dignity towards Maldives.
Saying different ideologies and members of the parties change the collective resolution for the sake of democracy, development and peace in the country, Modi stated in the same way, a few months ago, the Maldivians united to form a paradigm of democracy in front of the world. Speaking in this regard, Modi expressed delight to have arrived to Maldives to attend the swearing-in ceremony of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Modi stated the ceremony was an overwhelming experience where he felt first-hand the energy of true democracy in the Maldives. Modi noted he witnessed the dedication and commitment of the common citizen of the Maldives for democracy and also their love and regard for leaders. It was a true practice of democracy where Maldives proved the ultimate win is for the people, he added.
Continuing on, Prime Minister Modi mentioned some similarities of India and Maldives highlighting relations between India and Maldives are older than history. Modi said therefore, cooperating with Maldives in preserving the cultural heritage, preserving its manuscripts and developing dictionary of Dhivehi hold great significance for Indian government.
On the same context, assuring India will always assist in development of Maldives, Prime Minister Modi shed light on some projects conducted by India in Maldives. In this regard, the prime minister announced plans India will contribute in the conservation of Friday Mosque, noting there is no such mosque elsewhere in the world like this historical mosque made up of coral.
During the speech, the prime minister highlighted terrorism is the biggest threat and challenge of the current time expressing terrorists do not have their banks nor they have a factory of arms yet they are never lacking in money and weapons. Dealing with terrorism and radicalisation is the most accurate test of leadership in the world, the prime minister noted. He further appealed to collectively work to identify how the terrorists are financed and how they are provided with facilities. Additionally, Modi called upon all global institutions and all leading nations to organise a global conference on terrorism within a stipulated timeframe, so that there can be meaningful and result-oriented discussions for plugging the loopholes that terrorists and their supporters exploit.
Talking at the Maldives Parliament, prime minister expressed neighbourhood first is India’s priority.
Furthermore, Modi said India has always shared its achievements with the world expressing India’s development partnership is to empower people, not to weaken and nor to increase their dependence on India or to put an impossible burden of debt on the shoulders of future generations.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament gifted a copy of Maldives' first constitution, as a token of appreciation for India’s deference towards the Maldives upon conclusion of his address. Gifting the constitution, the speaker noted the first Constitution of the Maldives came into force in 1932, mentioning the copy presented to Modi, lacks the seal of the then Sultan since the copy with the seal was rather enthusiastically impaled by a strong Male’ mob less than a year after its ratification.
Prime Minister Modi will depart Maldives on June 9.