Sandeep Dikshit
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 19
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will visit the Maldives this weekend as India continues its high-level engagements in order to keep it firmly in its orbit after a couple of years of estrangement. Tellingly, Jaishankar will then visit Mauritius, another island-country in the Indian Ocean, for which India had once nearly launched an Operation to keep it in its security orbit.
Assistance during pandemic
- 5.5 tonnes of essential medicines
- 6.2 tonnes airlifted by IAF from various Indian cities
- 580 tonnes of food aid by naval ships
New Delhi had maintained the pace of meetings and engagements with Male, even during the pandemic. The earlier engagements include Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla’s visit in November 2020, a virtual meeting between the two Foreign Ministers in August 2020 during which several key projects and initiatives were announced and a phone conversation between PM Modi and President Solih in April 2020.
Solih, ever since he assumed office in November 2018, has taken concerted initiatives to move his country away from the close alignment with China by his predecessor.
The 1st destination to receive vax
- India has reciprocated in full measure by rapid and comprehensive assistance during the pandemic, including making Maldives the first destination to receive Covid vaccines.
- India also undertook a series of economic and financial initiatives to revive Maldivian economy.
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