Significant progress has been achieved in accelerating India-assisted projects in the Maldives, according to Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, who also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to giving these projects first priority.
On his first-ever bilateral official visit to India, Mr. Zameer, who was there from May 8 to 10, reported that on May 9, he and his Indian counterpart, S. Jaishankar, held bilateral talks to discuss important issues related to accelerating projects started with Indian funding.
According to him, the operational dynamics of the committees tasked with carrying out these projects were the main topic of conversation with S Jaishankar, psmnews.mv said.
Speaking during a news conference in the President’s Office, Mr. Zameer stated that India has approved an extension for the Maldives to settle a debt of $200 million, of which $150 million is still outstanding. Upon taking power in 2019, the previous administration obtained the loan.
According to Mr. Zameer, January saw the repayment of $50 million of the $200 million owing to India. He emphasized that no requests have been made by the Indian government in exchange for a longer payback time for the remaining $150 million.
According to the minister, during the previous government, loans and grants from India helped launch a number of initiatives around the Maldives.
He said that major progress has been achieved in accelerating projects with Indian assistance.
He emphasized how important it is for the present administration to prioritize starting and finishing these initiatives. During his most recent trip to India, he further demonstrated his commitment to this endeavor.
S. Jaishankar emphasized the importance of India’s ongoing initiatives in the Maldives during the two countries’ formal meetings.
The period of Mr. Zameer’s journey to India coincided with a decline in the two nations’ bilateral ties since pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu took office six months ago.
Muizzu’s insistence on the departure of Indian military troops manning three military installations within the island country severely strained relations between the two countries.
On Saturday, Mr. Zameer said that 76 Indian military personnel had been replaced by civilian workers of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the company that produced the two helicopters that India had provided. This announcement also put an end to the speculation over the precise number of individuals who had returned home at Male’s request.
The Maldivian government, however, has no plans to remove the Indian physicians who work at Senahiya.
