Minister of External Affairs of India, His Excellency Mr. Salman Khurshid,
Chancellor at the Maldives National University, Dr Mohamed Zahir Hussain,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen
Assalaam Alaikum,
I am honoured to accept on behalf of the Government of Maldives, the India-Maldives Friendship Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Building. I would like to thank Your Excellency and the Government of India for this generous assistance to the Maldives. The India-Maldives Friendship Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism Building has been a long standing commitment. Today, we are happy to see its completion, with fully functional classrooms and computer labs that would cater for almost 200 full time students.
This creates more opportunities for Maldivian students to stay in the country and pursue quality higher education in the field of hospitality and tourism. This will also lead to the generation of a qualified workforce for the tourism and hospitality industry of the Maldives.
Excellencies,
It is indeed no exaggeration when I say that the strong bonds between the Maldives and India go way back in time. Next year the Maldives will be celebrating 50 years since our independence. It is against this backdrop that we will also be celebrating, 50 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Maldives and India.Our relationship is based on mutual understanding and respect for each other's sovereignty.The historical and cultural friendship and cooperation between our two countries are evident not only in the partnership between our two Governments, but also in the close ties between our peoples.
Today we see that the relationship between our two countries is continuing to grow from strength to strength. India continues to be a close partner of the Maldives in diverse spheres; be it, development, economic, social, cultural or security. I would therefore like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to India for its readiness to assist the Maldives in its times of need.
Excellencies,
Over the years India has shown tremendous amount of generosity towards the Maldives. Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital and the Faculty of Engineering Technology stand as the most visible icons of our close friendship. This Building, which is a new icon of our ties, shows the commitment of the Indian Government towards assisting the Maldives in developing our infrastructure and strengthening our human resource capacity.
Therefore, I take this opportunity to reiterate the profound appreciation of the Government and the people of the Maldives to the Government and people of India for the warmth you have shown in your relationship with the Maldives, and fro the continued support and assistance towards all our development efforts.
Excellency,
I have no doubt that this traditional bond of friendship and cooperation that we have enjoyed over the past will continue to grow and expand in the years to come.
Thank you!