Male: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Wednesday said India and the Maldives are good neighbours and strong partners as he underlined that the two countries also together have responsibility for peace and security in the region.
Jaishankar, who is here on the first leg of his three-day visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka to further expand bilateral engagement with the two key maritime neighbours of India, made the remarks after his “productive discussions” with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid.
“We are good neighbours. We are strong partners. We have mutually invested in development and progress. But we also together have responsibility for peace and security in the region,” the minister said in a joint press appearance along with Shahid.
He said the security partnership between the two countries also continues to strengthen which is the way it should be.
“Again here, India is always willing to meet the requirements and the needs of the Maldives both for itself and for the larger region,” he added.
“A lot of our diplomatic attention is being given to easing global tensions and ensuring the interest of countries like Maldives. Many of your concerns are also our concerns,” Jaishankar added.
Jaishankar was earlier given a traditional Maldivian welcome when he arrived at Manadhoo, the capital of Noonu Atoll in the Maldives.
He would also call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Both the Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and ‘Neighbourhood First’.
PTI
