🏅President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said Maldives has a special place in India's neighbourhood first policy and the peoples of the two countries have enjoyed strong cultural, economic and trade ties for centuries.
🃏Welcoming Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, Murmu said she was happy to receive a close friend of India and an eminent leader under whose leadership Maldives has emerged as a stable and prosperous nation.
🐬Solih, who arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit, called on President Murmu. She said Maldives is a major partner and close friend of India in the Indian Ocean region.
🎶"The peoples of the two countries have enjoyed strong cultural, economic and trade ties for centuries. Maldives has a special place in India's 'neighbourhood first policy',” Murmu was quoted as having said in a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
ಞThe President said the rapid expansion of India-Maldives development cooperation, defence and security initiatives, economic ties and people-to-people contact augurs well for India's relationship with the government and people of Maldives.
ꦚShe said she was happy to note that India's need-based financial and development assistance is supporting the Maldives government's development priorities, it said.
𝄹President Murmu appreciated the courage and perseverance of the government and people of Maldives during the Covid-19 outbreak.
🅺"She was happy to note that the strong India-Maldives cooperation during the pandemic has been lauded as a model for the entire region,” the statement said.
🐲President Murmu noted that capacity building has emerged as a major pillar in the India-Maldives partnership.
ඣShe expressed confidence that MoUs signed during this visit will further strengthen capacity building initiatives in Maldives, it added.
🍰India and Maldives on Tuesday inked six agreements to expand cooperation in a range of areas including cyber security, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing a USD 100 million financial aid to help the island nation complete certain infrastructure projects.
