Special Envoy of President, Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Mohamed Asim concludes his India visit

12 January 2018, New Delhi

Special Envoy of the President of Maldives,  Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Mohamed Asim, today concluded his official visit to India .

During this visit the Minister had fruitful discussions with the Indian leadership. These included a call on Prime Minister of India, H.E Narendra Modi and meetings with External Affairs Minister H.E Sushma Swaraj, and Foreign Secretary H.E.Dr. S. Jaishankar.

Foreign Minister Dr. Asim’s visit reiterates the Maldives “India First Policy” and is in sync with a long list of high profile visits to either country in the last few years.

In his interactions, Prime Minister H.E. Narendra Modi affirmed India’s “Neighbourhood First” policy and said that India would always be a reliable and close neighbour of Maldives, supporting it in its progress and security. Foreign Minister Dr. Mohamed Asim extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to visit the Maldives.

An official statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said: “Discussions centered on strengthening of the development partnership between India and Maldives and enhancing defence and security cooperation. The External Affairs Minister conveyed our commitment to achieving the full potential of our relationship in line with India’s neighbourhood first policy.”

The meetings were attended by H.E. Mr. Ahmed Sareer, Foreign Secretary, H.E. Ahmed Mohamed, Ambassador of Maldives in India, Ms. Aishath Azeema, Joint Secretary, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ms. Shazra Abdul Sattar, Deputy Chief of Mission.

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