S. Jaishankar, India’s External Affairs Minister, will travel to the Maldives on Saturday evening for a two-day official visit to review bilateral ties and kick off significant India-backed projects in the Indian Ocean archipelago. Soon after, from March 28 to 30, he will travel to Sri Lanka for vital meetings following India’s recent $2.4 billion aid to the cash-strapped island nation in the middle of a severe economic crisis.
According to official releases from Colombo and New Delhi, Mr. Jaishankar will also attend the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on March 29 with his regional colleagues.
Jaishankar will on the third visit to Male
Mr. Jaishankar’s visit to Male, his third since taking office in May 2019, is part of India’s ongoing high-level engagement with the Maldives government on issues such as maritime security, development cooperation, and pandemic financial support.
He will meet with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, whose government, despite opposition from former President Abdulla Yameen and his allies leading the “India out” campaign, pursues an “India first” foreign policy. The visit also comes a fortnight after the NSA meeting of the ‘Colombo Security Conclave,’ which was held in Male and brought together India, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Bangladesh, and Seychelles as observers.
Mr. Jaishankar is anticipated to meet with the Rajapaksa administration’s leadership, major ministers, and significant members of the Opposition, including Tamil political groups, in Colombo. A spate of agreements in the energy and economic sectors have lately been struck between India and Sri Lanka.