Jaishankar undertakes trip to Maldives weeks after President Muizzu visited India to attend swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi government on June 9
EAM S Jaishankar on Saturday called on Maldivian President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and conveyed greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking about his meeting with the Maldivian President, EAM S Jaishankar wrote on X: “Privileged to call on President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. Conveyed greetings of PM Narendra Modi. Committed to deepening India-Maldives ties for the benefit of our people and the region.”

In the presence of Mohamed Muizzu at the Presidential office in Male, Jaishankar later on virtually inaugurated and handed over water and sanitation projects in 28 islands, commissioned under the Indian Line of Credit.

“I am happy to note that this has directly impacted the lives of 28,000 Maldivians I believe. And under this project, latest technologies have been used to provide clean drinking water and safe sewerage disposal. In addition, the buildings are also equipped with solar energy providing support to the island grids,” Jaishankar said while speaking on the occasion.

As per the EAM, this is the largest climate adaptation project which has been implemented with a total funding of USD 110 million.
 EAM Jaishankar highlighted India-Maldives developmental partnership and cooperation provided by New Delhi to Male in the field of health, education, infrastructure, defence, maritime, agriculture, banking, and climate.

“It is our endeavour to expand this list as we move forward and harness our multifaceted partnership to realize the aspirations of our peoples,” Jaishankar said.

While highlighting India’s development cooperation, the EAM said New Delhi is mindful of the challenges posed by climate change to the Maldives.

"In our efforts to expand the scope and benefits of development cooperation, we are mindful of the challenges posed by climate change, especially, for small island developing state such as the Maldives, which are even more vulnerable to the vagaries of rising sea levels," Jaishankar said.

He further maintained that “One of the immediate concerns is the availability and access of freshwater resources. It has been our objective to provide ecologically sustainable low-cost solutions to our development partners so that they are not only able to access potable water but also have the capability to treat sewage, thereby, protecting the delicate ecology of these islands and atolls."

The EAM said India-Maldives development cooperation embodies the motto of ‘Imagined by Maldives, Delivered by India.’