Journalism of Courage
External Affairs minister S Jaishankar will be travelling to the Maldives and Sri Lanka from March 26 to 30, the Ministry of External Affairs said Saturday.
After reaching Maldives on Saturday, Jaishankar will first visit Addu city (March 26 and 27) during which he will call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and hold discussions with Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid.
The MEA on Saturday said, “The External Affairs minister’s visit will see the signing of several agreements related to the bilateral development cooperation, inauguration/handing-over and launch of a number of key India-supported projects that will contribute to the socio-economic development of the Maldives and enhance its security.”
Jaishankar’s visit to Sri Lanka (March 28-30) follows the visits to India by Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka Basil Rajapaksa in December 2021 and earlier this month and that of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka G L Peiris in February 2022.
“The bilateral meetings and interactions which the External Affairs minister will have in Sri Lanka highlight the priority that Sri Lanka occupies for India,” the MEA statement said.
In Sri Lanka, the External Affairs minister will also participate in the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on March 29 in Colombo. The MEA said that both the Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ and Neighbourhood First Policy.
“EAM’s visit is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its close and friendly relations with the Maldives and Sri Lanka,” the MEA said.
