Masha Midhath   20 February 2021 - 11:07 PM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid receiving the Minister of External Affairs of India at Velana International Airport. Photo: Foreign Ministry.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid receiving the Minister of External Affairs of India at Velana International Airport. Photo: Foreign Ministry.
The Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has arrived on an official visit to the Maldives this afternoon.

The External Affairs Minister was received at Velana International Airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel, Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, and High Commissioner of Maldives to India Dr. Hussain Niyaaz.

During this visit, the Minister of External Affairs will call on the President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed, and hold meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Minister of Defense. A joint meeting will be held with the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Economic Development, and the Minister of National Planning, Housing, and Infrastructure.

During this visit, the Minister of External Affairs of India will inaugurate some projects undertaken with Indian grant assistance, in addition to witnessing the exchange of several Agreements and MoUs between two countries. The Minister of External Affairs is visiting the Maldives at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.

This is his second visit to the Maldives in his capacity as the Minister of External Affairs of India. His first visit was to attend the 5th Indian Ocean Conference in September 2019.