Vice President Faisal Naseem has praised India for always extending assistance whenever the Maldives is in need. He made the statement in his speech at a special reception hosted by the High Commission of India in the Maldives to commemorate India's 75th Independence Day.
Speaking at the reception, Vice President Naseem described the decades leading up to India attaining independence, in 1947, as a long and grueling struggle overcome by the invaluable efforts and sacrifices of great leaders who fought for freedom. He affirmed that India's journey to becoming a leading sovereign nation in only 75 years is an inspiration to the whole world and noted that India was one of the first countries to recognise the Maldives as a sovereign state when the country had attained independence from the protectorate status under the British.
Delineating on the aid and support India had provided the Maldives, the vice president underscored the assistance provided for the development of the social sector, especially the High Impact Community Development Projects under India's assistance which strengthened the government's decentralisation efforts to bring nationwide development.
He recognised India's tremendous support on all fronts concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, including assisting in the evacuation of Maldivians in Wuhan, donating essential medicines and essential food items, and granting 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine, as the first recipients outside India. He extended his sincere gratitude to the Government of India for the generous assistance extended to the Maldives during these challenging times.
Concluding his remarks, the vice president said that the Maldives remains committed to enhancing the partnership with India, and would continue to uphold the close friendship between the two nations.