S Jaishankar lauds Maldives for breakthrough in ‘climate adaptation’ project

External Affairs Minister (EAM) of India S Jaishankar who is in the Maldives to discuss the bilateral ties has commended the Maldives for its climate change efforts and stated that India is collaborating on one of the country's greatest climate adaption projects and is willing to contribute its expertise in this field. He further claimed that despite the pandemic their relationship has witnessed fast-paced progress in the past year. EAM Jaishankar flew on Saturday for a five-day visit to the Maldives and Sri Lanka to look into the possibility of deepening bilateral ties with India's two major maritime neighbours.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced that during the EAM's visit, several agreements related to bilateral development cooperation will be signed, as well as the inauguration and launch of a number of key India-supported projects that will contribute to the Maldives' socio-economic development and security. In the Indian Ocean region, the Maldives is one of India's most important maritime neighbours.

Projects and initiatives which will have a significant impact on the Maldives' growth

On his visit, EAM stated that he and Maldives' Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid reviewed the projects and initiatives which will have a significant impact on the Maldives' growth. He further claimed that some of these initiatives will be officially launched tomorrow. He also stated that in less than two years, the Greater Male Connectivity project has achieved significant progress. He further said that work on 4000 housing units, drinking water and sanitation, and the Addu Roads project has begun. The EAM also stated that with the signing of the agreement, over 1500 Indian institutes, universities, and learning centres from Singapore, Europe, and the United States are now connected to the Maldives.

EAM's visit to Sri Lanka

EAM's visit to Sri Lanka, which takes place from March 28 to March 30, comes less than a week after India approved a USD 1 billion line of credit for the island nation to help it deal with its economic crisis. Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister GL Peiris visited India in December 2021 and earlier this month, respectively. MEA stated that both the Maldives and Sri Lanka are India's significant maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region, and they hold a special place in Prime Minister Modi's vision of 'SAGAR' and 'Neighbourhood First.'

Image: @DrSJaishankar/Twitter