President Mohammad Muizzu, who came to power in Maldives about a year ago by igniting the fire of hatred towards India, has come to his senses. For the last 10 months, he was busy praising China. He was picking up a fight with India on every issue, but in these 10 months, he has come face to face with the ground reality. He is now busy praising India. He has started calling India his truest friend. In such a situation, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday that Maldives is a major partner of India in the Indian Ocean region and both the countries aspire to transform their cooperation into a modern partnership.
Jaishankar said this at the handover ceremony of the Addu Reclamation and Coast Protection Project and the inauguration of the 4-lane Detour Link Road Project built with the help of the Government of India under the loan assistance of Exim Bank. Maldives Foreign Minister Musa Jameer was also present on this occasion.
Inauguration of projects
Jaishankar said, “Maldives is an important partner for us in the Indian Ocean region. It is at the center of our policy of ‘Neighbor First’. And so it is very natural that cooperation between our two countries has moved beyond the traditional role and today there is an aspiration to become a truly modern partnership. “He said, “Our cooperation in the field of development aims to touch all aspects of people’s lives and find ways to bring concrete benefits to their lives. “
“Today we are one of the biggest trading partners among other countries. We are also seeing more investment flow from India to Maldives, especially in the tourism sector,” the foreign minister said.
He said India has partnered with the Maldives government in the Addu Reclamation and Coastal Protection Project to find a sustainable way to develop it as a regional hub. Reclamation of 184 hectares of land was completed earlier this year. This ambitious project worth about US$ 80 million includes reclamation for tourism development as well as overall economic development of Addu. This project will help in the overall development of the region and provide better opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and business.
Jaishankar said, “Another important project being implemented with Indian assistance is a project costing US $ 70 million, which aims to redevelop the roads and drainage system of Addu. This project is in the final stage and on its completion will solve the problem of waterlogging on the roads in Addu.”
He said, “The Addu Detour Link road which has been inaugurated today, which is why we have gathered here, is an important component of this project and will greatly facilitate connectivity within the atoll. Under the Indian loan assistance, we have focused not only on developing the facilities of Addu as a region but also on connecting it to the outside world.”
International airport with loan from India
The Maldives government is also undertaking the redevelopment of Gan International Airport under Indian loan assistance. Jaishankar said, “This will boost investor confidence and local tourism in Gan and the southern atolls, as well as provide extensive economic benefits to many local communities.” India places equal emphasis on effective community development projects in the Maldives.
The Foreign Minister said, “We are already participating in 65 projects, of which 12 or five projects have already been completed. We are happy to see the success of this high impact community development project model, its expansion and its presence growing rapidly.”
Jaishankar also highlighted other projects being run with India’s assistance in the Maldives. He said that India is aware of the emerging needs and priorities of its Maldivian friends and both the governments try to provide solutions according to their needs. He congratulated the Maldivian government and the people there, especially the people of Southern Maldives, for both these projects. Giving information about the projects assisted by India in the Maldives, Jaishankar said in a post on ‘X’, “India Maldives friendship is people-centric. India shares its development experience with its neighbors.
Maldives, S Jaishankar
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 11, 2024, 17:53 IST
