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Maldives President visits India
The President of the Republic of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on 2 August was on an Official Visit to India at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Shri Narendra Modi.
It was President Solih’s third visit to India since assuming office on 17 November 2018. President Solih was accompanied by a high-level official delegation.
During the visit, President Solih had delegation level talks with Prime Minister Shri Modi in New Delhi. Prime Minister Modi also hosted an official lunch for President Solih and the accompanying delegation.
President Solih also met with President of the Republic of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, during the visit and congratulated President Murmu on assuming office as India’s 15th President.
The India-Maldives bilateral partnership is underpinned by geographical proximity, historical, cultural ties and shared values. Prime Minister Shri Modi underlined that the Maldives occupies a special place in the hearts of Indians and in India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy. President Solih reaffirmed his government’s “India-First Policy”. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the rapid expansion of the bilateral partnership in recent years, which has benefited citizens of both countries. The leaders reiterated their commitment to further strengthen and deepen this mutually beneficial comprehensive partnership.
President Solih thanked Prime Minister Shri Modi and the Government of India for standing by the Government and the people of the Maldives during the Covid-19 pandemic. The medical and financial assistance from India helped the Maldives overcome the health and economic fallouts of the pandemic. India was the first partner to gift Covid-19 vaccines to Maldives. Prime Minister Modi congratulated President Solih and the people of the Maldives for their resilience, the successful vaccination drive and the solid economic rebound post-pandemic.
Prime Minister Shri Modi and President Solih agreed to further deepen institutional linkages for cooperation in the areas of defence and security, investment promotion, human resource development, infrastructure development including climate and energy.
Outcomes of the visit:
B. Agreements/MoUs Exchanged
1. MoU on Capacity Building & Training of Members of Local Councils & Women Development Committee of Maldives between NIRDPR, India and Local Government Authority, Maldives
2. MoU on Collaboration in potential fishing zone forecast capacity building and data sharing and marine scientific research between INCOIS, India and Ministry of Fisheries, Maldives
3. MoU for Cooperation in the area of Cyber Security between CERT-India and NCIT, Maldives
4. MoU for cooperation in the field of disaster management between NDMA, India and NDMA, Maldives
5. Agreement between EXIM Bank, India and Ministry of Finance, Maldives for USD 41 Mn Buyer’s Credit Financing of Police Infrastructure in Maldives
6. Letter of Intent between Exim Bank of India and Ministry of Finance, Maldives on Buyer’s Credit funding approval of USD 119 Mn for additional 2,000 social housing units to be constructed in Hulhumale.