Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel, who is in India on his first official visit, held discussions with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in New Delhi on Friday.
The talks were part of continued diplomatic efforts to strengthen ties between the two nations. During Friday’s discussions, Jaishankar highlighted key developments, including the signing of a framework to facilitate the use of local currencies for cross-border transactions and growing collaboration across various sectors. He welcomed Khaleel as the first diplomatic visitor of the year, expressing his satisfaction with the positive progress in the bilateral relationship.
Jaishankar reaffirmed India’s commitment to the Maldives, calling it a “concrete expression” of India’s Neighbourhood First policy.
Additionally, Khaleel and Jaishankar reviewed regional security cooperation and explored opportunities for collaboration on climate resilience and sustainable development. They also signed an agreement on implementing the next phase of High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) in the Maldives.
Relations between the Maldives and India hit an all-time low at the beginning of last year. However, ties gradually improved, with further progress made during Jaishankar’s official visit to the Maldives and President Mohamed Muizzu’s official visit to India in October. During Muizzu’s visit, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to a “Comprehensive Economic & Maritime Security Partnership.”
The visit comes just days after The Washington Post published an investigative report linking the Indian intelligence agency to an alleged opposition plot to overthrow the Muizzu administration in its early days.