Jaishankar reaffirms India-Maldives development ties are strong during Male visit

Male [Maldives], January 18 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday reviewed India's joint projects with the Maldives and reaffirmed the strong development partnership between the two countries.
After holding discussions with Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, Jaishankar said they reaffirmed the strong development ties between both sides.
"Minister and I had a very productive discussion. Before this press conference, we were joined by our delegations as well. The agreement and MoUs that we have exchanged today are reaffirmations of the strong development partnership that we have," Jaishankar said during a press conference in Male.
Jaishankar is on a visit to Male to see the signing of agreements related to the bilateral development cooperation, ground-breaking/inauguration/handing-over. He will also launch a number of key India-supported projects that will contribute to the socio-economic development of the Maldives.
External Affairs Minister said that all Indian projects in the country adhere to the tenet of the Indian development cooperation approach which lays emphasis on transparency, and competitive pricing.
"Needless to say, all these projects adhere to the basic tenet of the Indian development cooperation approach which is the emphasis on transparency, full participation, ownership of the host country and competitive pricing," he said.
"I am confident that these projects together will completely transform, the economic landscape of the Maldives," he added.
Addressing a press conference alongside Abdulla Shahid, Jaishankar also said that both sides reviewed the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport Expansion Project, which he described as one of the most anticipated projects in the northern part of the country.
"We have jointly reviewed our infrastructure projects and the groundbreaking ceremony of what is one of the most anticipated projects in the north, the Hanimaadhoo International Airport Expansion Project will be held later this evening. This project once completed will transform the lives and livelihoods of all," he said.
Jaishankar also talked about the Greater Male Connectivity Project, which he said was another ambitious project in the country.
"Greater Male Connectivity Project is the largest project which has ever been done in this country. We expect it to become an economic corridor, connecting Male with Villingli, the proposed commercial port at Gulhifalhu and the industrial zone at Thilafushi," he said. (ANI)