Addu City (Maldives), March 26 : External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who arrived on Saturday evening in the Maldives’ atoll of Addu, said the time-tested India-Maldives relationship is poised for a quantum jump and New Delhi is very strongly committed to the bilateral ties.
Addressing the media after signing of the Peering Agreement for connectivity between the Higher Education Network of Maldives and the National Knowledge Network of India and jointly launching the network with Maldivian FM Abdulla Shahid, he said the India-Maldives ties is a partnership that delivers.
“Our time-tested relationship is today poised for a quantum jump. We are touching the lives of our people like we have done never before. We are partners in development, we are promoting peace and security, and our relationship, in many ways, serves as a model for the region. “It is a partnership that delivers for its stakeholders – the citizens of our countries – both in good times and in bad times. This is a partnership that tackles common challenges of regional development, which addresses disruptions and disasters. It is a partnership that is a force for stability in the region. And, it is our shared responsibility to nurture, to strengthen it and to take it forward. “And I would like to take this opport ty to assure you that we remain very strongly committed to further progress of this relationship, and coming to Addu has been a particularly effective way of messaging that.”
He said with signing of the peering agreement, over 1,500 Indian Institutes, versities and centres of learning from Singapore, Europe and the US are connected to Maldives via India’s National Knowledge Network.
He assured the Maldivian side of cooperation in further development of Addu atoll through projects.
He said the fast-paced development in the bilateral relations has been guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohd Solih.
Jaishankar said their cooperation has withstood the pandemic and he congratulated the people and government of Maldives for dealing with the adversity of Covid in an effective manner. “You have vaccinated your people and the economy is showing resilience,” he added.
He said the bilateral cooperation during the pandemic has shown solidarity in the design, speed and scale of the response.
“And the mutual recognition of the Covid certificates is a step forward in the direction.”
He said the two ministers took stock of projects and initiatives. “They make a real difference to the development of Maldives. We will witness inauguration of some of these projects tomorrow.”
“Our transparent development partnership, driven by Maldivian needs and priorities, today ranges upwards of US$ 2.6 billion, in terms of grants, assistance. He said the two ministers also held wide ranging discussion on trade and investment, among other matters.
He said in Addu, India is supporting projects in a range of sectors, including tourism, fish processing, and infrastructure.
Referring to the Greater Male connectivity project, being undertaken by India, he said it holds the potential of transforming connectivity in the Maldives. He said the project has made good progress in less than two years. “We have moved from level of concept, and geo technical surveys are on, and we hope we can do the ground breaking in the coming months,” he added.
The EAM said that work has begun on 4,000 housing ts, drinking water and sanitation as well as the Addu Roads project.
He voiced happiness at the steady growth in tourism with Indians forming a major chunk of the tourists.
He said the Mutual recognition of Covid-19 certificates today will facilitate easier travel between India and the Maldives. “I am glad that we have been able to keep up the supply of essential goods and commodities to Maldives,” he said.
He praised the Maldives’ efforts to mitigate climate change and said India will be happy to share its expertise and knowledge, including in climate adaptation projects.
He said the two ministers acknowledged the strides made in the fields of capacity building and training.
He commended the Maldives for its Climate Change efforts and ambition. India is partnering in one of Maldives’ largest climate adaptation measures and stands ready to share capabilities in this area, he said.
He said the two ministers also discussed regional security and maritime safety, and the dangers of transnational crimes, drugs, which he said is very serious.
Referring to the National College of Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE) to be inaugurated tomorrow, he said it has received the largest grant in Maldives after the Male connectivity project. The police centre will train and enhance crime fighting among the Maldivian police.
On Sunday, EAM will also hand over a coastal radar system formally to the Maldives. He said the Coastal Radar System is already helping enhance maritime security for Maldives and the region.
Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, in his remarks, said that the Maldives-India relations remain strong and it is one of the top foreign policy priorities of the Maldives government.
“Maldives welcomes India’s Neighbourhood First Policy, and we are committed to the India First policy,” he said.
RN
