S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs for India, reviewed the bilateral projects the two nations had undertaken together on Wednesday and underlined their strong commitment to mutual development.
The synergies between India’s neighbourhood first and the Maldives’ India first policies have made both countries good neighbours and strong partners, according to Jaishankar, who is in Male as part of a three-day trip to the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
In Noonu Manadhoo, a number of significant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and the Maldives. These MoUs included community development initiatives, the distribution of books in a preschool, an academic partnership between Cochin University and the Maldives National University, and India providing two sea ambulances to the Maldives Defense Ministry.
“Visited Noonu Mandhoo Preschool with great pleasure. Indian-authored books will open their eyes to the globe “said Dr. Jaishankar.
100 million Maldivian Rufiyaa in additional grant funding from India has been provided for a high-impact community development programme. Under this funding, a number of socioeconomic development initiatives are expected to be carried out around the Maldives.
For the construction of a sports complex in Gaafu Dhaal Gadhdhoo, an MoU was also inked. According to a statement made by the Maldivian government, “this initiative will construct a centre which will encourage youth empowerment via sports and contribute to the general community development.”
Munu Mahawar, the Indian High Commissioner in Male, and Ahmed Khaleel, the Maldives’ Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, exchanged memoranda of understanding.
Additionally, vice chancellors from Cochin University of Science and Technology and the Maldives National University exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on capacity building to facilitate exchanges and cooperative projects between the two universities in the areas of education, research, development instruction, community service, staff and student exchanges.
“We talked about all aspects of our unique bilateral relationship, with a focus on people-to-people exchanges, capacity building, and development collaboration. The relationship with India has had a significant impact on people’s lives. During my visit, I had the chance to observe concrete outcomes “said EAM.
