Diplomatist Magazine Diplomatist September 2019 | Page 2

Visitor's BOOK Visit Of External Affairs Minister To Maldives E xternal Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar (EAM) visited Male on September 3-4, 2019. The visit was the first high- level bilateral visit from India to Maldives following Prime Minister Modi’s State Visit on June 8-9, 2019. During the visit, EAM called on Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and Speaker Mohamed Nasheed. He also held bilateral talks with Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. EAM conveyed greetings of Prime Minister Modi to President Solih and briefed him on the satisfactory status of implementation of decisions taken during President Solih’s visit to India in December, 2018 and Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Maldives in June, 2019. He expressed appreciation for the ‘India First’ policy of the Maldivian Government and its principled position on Indian Government’s recent decision regarding Article 370 and J&K as an “internal matter of India”. During his meeting with Speaker Nasheed, EAM acknowledged his contribution to promoting bilateral ties as well as his ideas and proposals on environmental protection. EAM also congratulated him for the successful holding of the recent South Asian Speakers’ Conference in Maldives. EAM and Foreign Minister Shahid reviewed the state of bilateral relations, in particular, the progress on implementation of decisions emanating from state visits from both sides in the last nine months. The Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty on criminal matters was signed between both sides. Both Ministers also jointly laid the foundation stone of the new Chancery building of Embassy of India in the Diplomatic Enclave in Hulhumale’. During the visit, EAM Dr. Jaishankar also participated in the Indian Ocean Conference 2019. In his keynote address on “Securing the Indian Ocean Region: Traditional and Non- traditional challenges”, he highlighted India’s articulation of the Indo-Pacific construct. He called on Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremasinghe and met with Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade of Mauritius Nandcoomar Bodha and Secretary General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman Sayyid bin Hamad Albusaidi on the side-lines of the Conference. n Source: Ministry of External Affairs External Affairs Minister meets Abdulla Shahid, Foreign Minister of Maldives in Male (September 03, 2019) 2 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 7 • Issue 9 • September 2019, Noida