Maldives President meets Maharashtra Governor in Mumbai

The Maldivian President, who arrived in India on Monday, had also met Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.

During this visit, President Solih is expected to participate in business events.

A day earlier, Solih called on President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

"Welcoming President Solih at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President said that she was happy to receive a close friend of India and an eminent leader under whose leadership Maldives has emerged as a stable and prosperous nation," the office of the Indian President said in a statement.

The President said that the Maldives is a major partner and close friend of India in the Indian Ocean Region. "The peoples of the two countries have enjoyed strong cultural, economic and trade ties for centuries. Maldives has a special place in India's 'neighbourhood first policy."

She was happy to note that India's need-based financial and development assistance is supporting the Maldives government's development priorities.

The President said that the rapid expansion of India-Maldives development cooperation, defence and security initiatives, economic ties and people-to-people contact augurs well for India's relationship with the Government and people of Maldives.

She noted that capacity building has emerged as a major pillar in the India-Maldives partnership. She expressed confidence that MoUs signed during this visit will further strengthen capacity-building initiatives in the Maldives.

This is President Solih's third visit to India since assuming office on November 17, 2018. President Solih is accompanied by a high-level official delegation, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The Maldives is India's key neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region and occupies a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy. In recent years, the partnership has witnessed rapid growth in all areas of cooperation.

For India, the Maldives has always been a close and important maritime neighbour. Multifaceted ties between the two countries have strengthened despite the pandemic-related disruptions.India's "Neighborhood First" policy and Maldives's "India First" policy work in tandem to tackle shared concerns and advance mutual interests. (ANI)