Jaishankar kicked off a three-day official tour of the Maldives and Sri Lanka Wednesday through Jan. 20 to strengthen ties with India’s two maritime neighbors.
Upon his arrival in the Maldives, Foreign Minister Jaishankar was received by his counterpart Abdulla Shahid, with whom he will sign several agreements in Male to strengthen cooperation, inaugurate and launch a series of Indian-backed projects that will contribute to the socio-economic development of the Maldives, reported the State Department.
The visitor will meet President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Hanimadhoo International Airport development project, which will be implemented under the Indian Credit Line.
He will then inaugurate the Shaviyani Foakaidhoo Community Center developed with the help of an Indian grant and will travel to Colombo tomorrow where he plans to meet with Sri Lankan leaders on relations between the two countries and measures to strengthen them in all areas. .
In Sri Lanka, Jaishankar will continue his previous visits to this neighboring country in January 2021 and March last year, meeting with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, as well as holding talks with Maldivian Foreign Minister MUM Ali Sabry.
The Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s maritime neighbors in the Indian Ocean and hold a special place in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “Security and Growth for All in the Region” and Neighborhood First policies, and Jaishankar’s tour is a testament to the importance , the New Delhi has attachments to both countries, the foreign ministry noted.
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