New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will pay an official visit to close Indian Ocean neighbours the Maldives and Sri Lanka from March 26-30, in a visit that will see the inking of several agreements with Male. Jaishankar is visiting Maldives from March 26-27 at the invitation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid. The EAM would be visiting Addu city during which he will call on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and hold discussions with the Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. The EAM’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, an official statement said. He will be visiting Sri Lanka from March 28-30 at the invitation of his Sri Lankan counterpart Prof. G.L. Peiris. The EAM’s visit follows the visits to India by Sri Lankan Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in December 2021 and earlier this month and that of Minister G.L. Peiris in February 2022. The bilateral meetings and interactions which EAM will have in Sri Lanka highlight the priority that the Sri Lanka occupies for India. While in Sri Lanka, EAM will also participate in the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on March 29 in Colombo. Both Maldives and Sri Lanka are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy special place in Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ and Neighbourhood First. EAM’s visit is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its close and friendly relations with the Maldives and Sri Lanka, it said. UNI RN
