Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar arrived in the Maldives on Friday evening for a three-day official visit. He was welcomed at Velana International Airport by Maldives’ Foreign Minister Musa Jameel.
During his visit, Jaishankar and Jameel discussed various issues including security, trade, and digital cooperation. They also inaugurated six projects focused on street lighting, mental health, children’s speech therapy, and special education.
Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter) late Friday night, saying, “Had meaningful discussions with Foreign Minister Musa Jameel in Male today. Our agenda included development partnership, capacity building, bilateral and regional security, trade, and digital cooperation. We also inaugurated six high-impact projects together.”
Additionally, a memorandum of understanding was signed between India’s National Payments Corporation and the Maldives’ Ministry of Economic Development and Trade to start a digital payment system in the Maldives. Another agreement was renewed between the National Governance Centre and the Civil Service Commission to train an additional 1000 civil service officers.
Jaishankar expressed his pleasure at arriving in the Maldives and thanked Minister Musa Jameel for the welcome. He emphasized the importance of the Maldives in India’s ‘Neighborhood First’ and ‘Sagar’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) policies, and looked forward to productive discussions.
This is Jaishankar’s first visit to the Maldives since January 2023.
