Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid departed India after concluding his Official Visit to New Delhi.
During the visit, Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar. Bilateral talks were also held between both countries where in-depth discussion on all aspects of the relations between the Maldives and India took place. The historic relationship between both countries were reflected and commitments were exchanged to continue working closely together, bilaterally and in the international fora, on priority areas of mutual interest. Both Ministers shared their visions relating to development cooperation, tourism cooperation, human resource development, multilateral engagements, and consular affairs. Both Minister Shahid and Minister Dr. Jaishankar also emphasized on the importance of exploring further avenues to deepen the Maldives-India partnership.
During his visit, Minister Shahid also presided the exchange of nine Memorandum of Understandings between Maldives and India in the field of socio-economic development, along with the Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar.
Additionally, Minister Shahid delivered the 43rd Sapru House Lecture (SHL) at the Indian Council of World Affairs. In the lecture titled “The Power of Small: The Maldives Story”, Minister Shahid outlined how Maldives as a small State navigated the perils of international diplomacy through adapting and adjusting by means of successful strategies.
In addition, Minister Shahid also met with the Non-Resident High Commissioners and Ambassadors accredited to the Maldives based in New Delhi, at the reception hosted by the High Commissioner of Maldives to India, in honour of Minister Shahid. Minister Shahid also visited the High Commission of Maldives in India where he met with the diplomatic and local staff. Minister also engaged with several Indian media and spoke about the Maldives-India partnership, the overall development of Maldives and India’s pivotal role.
Minister Shahid was seen off at the Indhira Gandhi International Airport by the High Commissioner of Maldives to India, Ibrahim Shaheeb and Mr. Puneet Agarwal, Joint Secretary, IOR of the Ministry of External Affairs of India.