India and Maldives to look afresh at ties during Foreign Minister Shahid’s Delhi visit

Keeping with the tradition of high-level exchanges from both sides, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid will arrive in India on Monday on an official visit at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Maldives is India’s key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and occupies a special place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR or ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ and the ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’.

During his visit to the Indian capital, Shahid and Jaishankar will hold discussions on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest and will also be witness to exchange of project development agreements under Indian grant assistance.

The visiting foreign minister will also deliver the 43rd Sapru House Lecture at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi.

“Look forward to continuing our discussions on enhancing the Maldives-India partnership,” Shahid tweeted before leaving for New Delhi on Monday.

“Foreign Minister Shahid’s visit is in continuation of the series of high level visits from both sides and is expected to lend further momentum to the substantive bilateral cooperation between the two countries,” said a statment from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).