India hands over defence equipment, stores to Maldives

New Delhi [India], January 8 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held bilateral discussions with the Defence Minister of Maldives Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon in New Delhi on Wednesday. During the meeting, India handed over defence equipment and stores to the Maldives, as per the island nation's request.
Both sides comprehensively reviewed various aspects of bilateral defence and security cooperation and reasserted the firm commitment to work closely in realising the joint vision for the India-Maldives Comprehensive Economic and Maritime Security Partnership, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

Raksha Mantri reaffirmed India's readiness to support the Maldives in capability enhancement for defence preparedness, including provisioning of defence platforms and assets to augment its capacities, as per its national priorities and in line with New Delhi's 'Neighborhood First' policy and the vision of SAGAR (Security And Growth for All in the Region).
Minister Maumoon appreciated India's historical role as the 'First Responder' for the Maldives and thanked New Delhi for assisting Male in augmenting the modern infrastructural capacities and training of defence & security personnel.

"On the Government of Maldives' request, India handed over defence equipment and stores to the Maldives," the statement added.
Earlier, in a delegation-level meeting with his Maldivian counterpart, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reaffirmed India's commitment to deepening ties with the Maldives.
Reflecting on the recent visit of President Mohamed Muizzu to India, Singh stated, "I recall our brief meeting with you during the state visit of President Mohamed Muizzu to India in October 2024. The visit of the President of the Maldives has provided a new orientation to our bilateral relationship, and the Joint Vision Document released during the visit acts as a guiding principle for our two countries."
He emphasised the enduring spiritual, historical, linguistic, and ethnic ties between the nations, describing the relationship as "close, cordial, and multidimensional." Singh noted that the Maldives holds a special position under India's Neighbourhood First Policy, a strategic framework aimed at ensuring regional stability and prosperity.
He added, "Maldives occupied a special place under Neighbourhood's First Policy of India, which aimed to bring stability and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region."

Notably, Minister Maumoon is on his first official visit to India. The visit is part of continued high-level engagements between the two sides. It has provided an opportunity to further deepen the bilateral defence and security ties for the mutual benefit of the two countries and the Indian Ocean Region. (ANI)