External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on August 29 held talks with his visiting Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid, covering a range of key issues including bilateral cooperation.
Mr. Shahid, who is also President of the U.N. General Assembly, arrived in New Delhi on Sunday.
After the talks, Mr. Jaishankar said India's 'Neighbourhood First' and Maldives' 'India First' policies complement each other.
"Glad to meet FM of Maldives and UNGA President @abdulla_shahid. Congratulated him on the achievements of his UNGA Presidency. Working together to advance our special relationship. India's Neighbourhood First and Maldives' India First policies complement each other," he tweeted.
On his part, Mr. Shahid said the discussions touched upon the achievements of the 76th session of the General Assembly as well as the importance of multilateralism.
"Always good to meet H.E. @DrSJaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs. Our discussions touched on the achievements of the 76th session of the General Assembly as well as the importance of multilateralism," he tweeted.
The visiting foreign minister also thanked India for its strong support to his presidency of the UNGA.
Mr. Shahid also met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
"Happy to welcome President of UN General Assembly and Foreign Minister of Maldives, H.E Abdulla Shahid to India. His dynamic leadership of the 76th UNGA and his Presidency priorities, in particular on revitalizing the U.N., has universal appeal," Mr. Dhankhar tweeted.
"We are confident that his visit would further strengthen India's close and multi-faceted ties with Maldives," he added.
The Maldivian foreign minister's visit to India comes nearly a month after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's trip to New Delhi.
During Mr. Solih's visit, the two sides inked six agreements to expand overall cooperation in a range of areas such as cyber security, housing and disaster management.
The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and the overall ties between the two countries, including in the areas of defence and security, have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years.
