Maldives has special place in India's neighbourhood first policy: President Murmu
India Today
President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said Maldives has a special place in India's neighbourhood first policy.
President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday said Maldives has a special place in India's neighbourhood first policy and the peoples of the two countries have enjoyed strong cultural, economic and trade ties for centuries.
Welcoming Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the Rashtrapati Bhavan here, Murmu said 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.
Solih, who arrived here on Monday on a four-day visit, called on President Murmu.
She said 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',” Murmu was quoted as having said in a statement issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan.The President said 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 said she was happy to note that India's need-based financial and development assistance is supporting the Maldives government's development priorities, it said.
President Murmu appreciated the courage and perseverance of the government and people of Maldives during the COVID-19 outbreak.
