New Delhi, July 20 Beginning on July 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Maldives for two days, during which he will inaugurate a number of development projects.
High-level talks on important bilateral and regional issues will be held between President Muizzu and Prime Minister Modi.
Following the meeting, the Maldives President’s Office said in a press release on Sunday that “a number of joint projects will be inaugurated and several MoU will be exchanged with the aim of strengthening cooperation across various sectors of mutual interest.”
This will be PM Modi’s first trip to the Maldives since taking office in his third term. India and the Maldives have long-standing commercial, religious, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic ties.
Following the Maldives’ independence in 1965, India was one of the first nations to recognize the country and open diplomatic ties with it.
The Maritime Boundary Treaty of 1976 settled the Maldives’ one-time claim to Minicoy Island, and the Maldives acknowledged Minicoy as an essential component of India.
India’s quick response to the 1988 coup attempt helped to build mutual confidence and cordial, long-lasting bilateral ties with the Maldives. Fears of Indian dominance or territorial ambitions were allayed by the swift removal of Indian forces when they were no longer needed.
India was the first to help the Maldives amid the water crisis in Male in December 2014 and the 2004 tsunami. The Maldivian government and populace generally agree that these three occurrences demonstrate the benefits of India’s closeness and ability to help the Maldives in times of need more than any other nation.
According to the official press release, the visit by the Indian Prime Minister also holds great significance because it marks the 60th anniversary of both the Maldives’ independence and the start of diplomatic ties between the Maldives and India.
Source – sarkaritel.com
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