EAM S Jaishankar discusses COVID situation, vaccine cooperation with German counterpart

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on August 13 that he had a “good conversation” with his German counterpart Heiko Maas over various issues including the coronavirus situation and vaccine development. While the COVID-19 cases continue to surge in India with no indication of respite from the virus, Germany is witnessing a spike after successfully flattening the infection curve.

India has recorded almost 2.4 million confirmed cases of coronavirus with over 67,000 cases within the last 24 hours, registering biggest single-day spike till date. Meanwhile, Germany has reported more than 220,000 COVID-19 cases with around 10,000 active cases. Taking to Twitter, Jaishankar said that they talked about vaccine cooperation and reviewed the recent developments in Asia and Europe.

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Meeting with Maldives FM

Earlier today, Jaishankar also held a meeting with Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid through video conference, as a part of regular high-level exchanges between India and Maldives. The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said in a statement that the meeting is an opportunity to take stock of bilateral relations and make some landmark announcements in the context of COVID-19 and the overall bilateral partnership. 

During the meeting, the ministers noted that the coronavirus pandemic has not been able to slow down the pace of bilateral cooperation. The Union Minister announced that India will the implementation of the Greater Malé Connectivity Project through a new Line of Credit of $400 million and $100 million grant. 

The project will connect Malé with three neighbouring islands - Villingili, Gulhifahu and Thilafushi – through a bridge-and-causeway link spanning 6.7 kilometres. Jaishankar also announced the start of regular cargo ferry service between the two countries to boost trade and commerce. He further added that India is also starting an “air travel bubble” with the Maldives to sustain and promote the dynamic people-to-people ties between the two countries.

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