New Delhi and Maldives signed four agreements, including a $100 million Indian grant for an ambitious connectivity project, during Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s visit to the Maldives. The Four MoUs are:
|
Year |
Initiatives |
|
April 2020 |
India supplied 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to the Maldives, under Operation Sanjeevani to tackle the pandemic. |
|
May 2020 |
India under Mission Sagar, supplied food items and medical assistance teams to the countries in the southern Indian Ocean including the Maldives. |
|
August 2020 |
The bilateral Air Travel Bubble was established which connects five Indian cities with Male through 13 weekly flights leading to a steep increase in the number of tourists. |
|
October 2020 |
Both governments inked a deal for a USD 400 million line of credit from the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank), premier export finance institution of India. |
|
February 2021 |
India signed $50 mn agreement to boost Maldives' maritime capability. |
India and Maldives have a long history of close relations that has been shaped by the commonality of interests in the Indian Ocean. Since assuming office, President Abdulla Yameen has expressed his supreme satisfaction with the direction in which the bilateral relations are progressing and his unwavering commitment to further strengthening these ties.
Consequently, both countries have entered into a new phase in their bilateral development cooperation by signing two MoUs that marks an ambitious commitment to developing mutual areas of cooperation within the specific requirements of both the Governments.
India recently signed a USD 50 million line of credit (LoC) agreement with the Maldives to facilitate maritime capability building of the island nations.
According to a joint India-Maldives joint statement, the agreement was signed between the Government of Maldives and EXIM Bank India.
The agreement was signed during the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to the Maldives.