External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Maldivian counterpart Dunya Maumoon held bilateral talks on Saturday. Maumoon is on a two-day visit to India. Her visit comes just over a month after Swaraj had visited Male to attend the Fifth Maldives-India Joint Commission after a gap of 15 years.
While Maumoon expressed appreciation to Government of India for its continued support to the Maldives, Swaraj, on her part, assured India’s continuous support to the Maldives in all aspects. The Maldives Foreign Minister also conveyed felicitations on 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
“The discussions between the two Ministers were focused on ways of further strengthening and enhancing the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries,” the Maldives Foreign Office said in a statement.
Maumoon’s India visit comes in the backdrop of a troubled domestic situation after President Abdullah Yameen imposed a week-long emergency earlier this month. During her meeting, Maumoon is understood to have briefed Swaraj about the present political situation of Maldives. It is perceived that Maumoon’s visit is also to allay India’s concerns about Maldives growing pro-China stance. In Male, Maumoon had said that her Government values relations with both China and India.
China is funding several infrastructure projects in Maldives while India’s GMR was booted out in 2013, straining ties between the two nations. Other Indian investors too faced bureaucratic hassles and delays in obtaining clearances, which has largely kept Indian companies away from the Island nation. However, Male, recently has started making overtures to woo Indian companies. Maldives wants Indian private companies to invest in iHavan and Hulhulmale Youth City projects.