EAM Jaishankar to visit Maldives as both countries look at mending strained ties

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar will pay an official three-day visit to Maldives starting Friday as both countries look afresh at ties following a strained relationship since President Mohamed Muizzu came to power in the strategically significant Indian Ocean archipelago, last year.

This would be Jaishankar's first visit since assuming the office for a second term in June. He had previously visited Maldives in January 2023.

"Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour and an important partner in India's 'Neighbourhood First' Policy and our Vision 'Sagar' i.e. Security and Growth for All in the Region. The visit is aimed at strengthening the close partnership between the two countries and to explore avenues to enhance the bilateral relationship further," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The EAM's visit follows Muizzu's recent New Delhi visit for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the council of ministers.

During his visit, EAM Jaishankar will pay a courtesy call on the President of the Maldives and will also hold talks with his Maldivian counterpart Minister Moosa Zameer to review the existing bilateral cooperation.

"Both ministers will inaugurate the completed projects under the High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) and Line of Credit facility of EXIM Bank of India and witness the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding on areas for capacity building, commerce and trade," stated Maldives Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

Maldives Foreign Minister Zameer had also travelled to New Delhi in May on his first official visit to India since assuming office following the complete withdrawal of Indian troops from the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

"Our cooperation has also enhanced the security and well-being of your country through shared activities, equipment provisioning, capacity building and training. It is in our common interest that we reach an understanding on how best we take our relationship forward," EAM Jaishankar said during his meeting with Zameer on May 9.

New Delhi has also time and again reminded Maldives that it has been a key provider of development assistance to the island nation and several projects funded by India have benefited the lives of thousands of people in the country.

In spite of the recent sour ties between the two neighbouring countries, India had announced limited exports of essential goods including sugar, wheat, rice, onions and eggs as a goodwill gesture to Maldives.

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