Raising the bar for India-Maldives partnership, India has unveiled an additional an additional $100 million Line of Credit to the strategically located Indian Ocean atoll nation as the two countries signed six pacts in diverse areas.
After wide-ranging talks with visiting Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in New Delhi on August 2, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced LoC USD 100 million for completing development projects in the neighbouring country in a time-bound manner.
“We also reviewed projects for the construction of 4000 social housing units in Greater Male today. I am happy to announce that we will additionally provide financial support for 2,000 social housing units,” he said in his media statement.
Lauding the launch of the Greater Male connectivity project, the largest infrastructure project in the Maldives, the two countries also decided to bolster and expand their cooperation in combating the scourge of terrorism.
“The threat of trans-national crime, terrorism and drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean is serious. And therefore, close contact and coordination between India and Maldives in the field of defence and security is vital for the peace and stability of the entire region,” said PM Modi. The enhanced counter-terror cooperation will also include capacity building and training support for Maldivian security officials. PM Modi also announced India will provide 24 vehicles and one naval boat for the Maldives Security Force. “We will also cooperate in building police facilities in 61 islands of Maldives,” said Mr Modi.
The talks between the leaders of India and the Maldives have placed bilateral relations on a higher trajectory and underscored the convergence between India’s Neighbourhood First policy and the Maldives’ India-First policy.
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- Manish Chand is Founder-CEO and Editor-in-Chief of India Writes Network (www.indiawrites.org) and India and World, a pioneering magazine focused on international affairs. He is CEO/Director of TGII Media Private Limited, an India-based media, publishing, research and consultancy company.
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