Male: On Monday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with Maldives Home Minister Imran Abdulla and discussed ways to boost bilateral ties. "Close bonds of friendship. Good meeting between EAM Sushma Swaraj and Maldives Minister of Home Affairs Imran Abdullla on the second day of her visit to Maldives. Discussed steps to continue the upward trajectory in our bilateral relationship", Raveesh Kumar, the MEA spokesman tweeted.
Ms Swaraj had arrived Male on Sunday for a two day visit. She met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Maldives, the People's Majlis, Qasim Ibrahim. Ms Swaraj recapitulated India's commitment to supporting Maldives in its path of peace, development, prosperity and democracy.
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She also unveiled a plaque which represented dedication of the renovated Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital to the people of Maldives in the city of Male. Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital is the first and the largest government healthcare facility in the Maldives which has been built with the assistance of India.
MEA spokesman Raveesh Kumar had also informed that External Affairs Minister and Maldivian Foreign Minister Shahid reviewed progress on important bilateral issues, including implementation of agreed outcomes of President Ibrahim Solih's visit to India last year. Both sides have agreed on a wide scope of issues for further collaboration.
In December last year, Mr Solih had visited India during which India announced a USD 1.4 billion financial assistance to the island nation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Maldives during the swearing in of the new President Solih. Since the new government assumed office in last November, this is the first high-level visit from India to the Maldives.