Highlights of EAM Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka from January 18-20, 2023

From January 18-20, 2023, India’s Union Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) paid an official visit to Maldives and Sri Lanka.

• Both countries are India’s key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean Region and occupy a special place in the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and ‘Neighbourhood First’.

Visit to the Maldives:

On January 18-19, 2023, Union Minister S.Jaishankar arrived in the Maldives to witness the impact of the developmental assistance extended through bilateral partnership. He was invited by Abdulla Shahid, Foreign Minister of Maldives.

India and Maldives exchange three MoUs :

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were signed between India and Maldives during a ceremony held at Manadhoo Island in Noonu Atoll, Maldives.

MoU for additional grant assistance of 100 million Rufiyaa for HICDP

• An MoU between the Maldives government and the Indian government for additional grant assistance of 100 million Rufiyaa for the High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) scheme was signed to implement a number of socio-economic development projects.
• India has completed 23 out of 45 HICDPs.

Signatories:

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel, Maldives; and Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar

MoU for the Development of a sports complex in Gaafu Dhaal Gadhdhoo:

The above signatories also exchanged MoU for the development of a sports complex in Gaafu Dhaal Gadhdhoo,Maldives.  This project will establish a Centre which will promote youth empowerment through sports and contribute to overall community development.

MoU between India’s CUSAT and Maldives’ MNU

The Vice-Chancellors of India’s Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) and Maldives National University (MNU) exchanged the MoU on capacity building to facilitate exchanges and cooperative initiatives between the two universities in the area of education, research, development instruction, community service, staff and student exchanges.

Handover of two sea ambulances to the Ministry of Defence of Maldives

Both Foreign Ministers also witnessed the handover of two sea ambulances from the Government of India (GoI) to the Ministry of Defence of Maldives which was a project carried out under the HICDP Scheme.

• The symbolic token for the same was received by Deputy Minister of Defence, Uz. Hassan Zameel from the High Commissioner of India, Munu Mahawar.

India extends $40 million line credit to Maldives 

India has extended a concessional $40 million Line of Credit to develop sports infrastructure in the Maldives. The extension is part of India’s flagship projects such as “Fit India” and “Khelo India” being included in its Neighbourhood First Policy.

Ground-breaking ceremony of Hanimaadhoo International Airport Project

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih have jointly participated in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Hanimaadhoo International Airport Redevelopment Project.

• It is one of the largest investments outside the capital region.
• The project will include the development of a new terminal building capable of handling 1.3 million passengers per year.

Inauguration of a community project in Shaviyani Foakaidhoo

Union Minister S. Jaishankar also inaugurated the India-Funded community centre with his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid.

• Foakaidhoo is one of the inhabited islands of the Shaviyani Atoll administrative division and is geographically part of the Miladhummadulhu Atoll in the Maldives.

Visit to Sri Lanka:

In the second leg of his visit, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Sri Lanka which is impacted by the economic crisis. There he called upon Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena.

• He also held discussions with Sri Lankan Foreign Minister M. U. M. Ali Sabry on the entire gamut of the India-Sri Lanka partnership.

India becomes the first country to extend assurance to Sri Lanka for its debt restructuring

India has become the first creditor nation to extend assurance towards restructuring the debt of Sri Lanka with financial assistance worth $4 billion.

• India will encourage greater investment in core areas of energy, tourism and infrastructure.

Leyland bags contract to supply 500 buses to Sri Lanka Transport Board 

India’s Commercial vehicle maker Ashok Leyland bagged a contract for supplying 32-seater 500 buses to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB), of which 75 buses have already been delivered

• The order is a part of a Line of Credit extended by Export Import Bank of India (EXIM), under the Economic Assistance Scheme of the Indian Government.
• SLTB is the state-owned single-largest bus transport provider in Sri Lanka with 110 depots throughout the country.
• The Hinduja group flagship has a bus and truck manufacturing facility in Sri Lanka as well.

India’s EAM also participated in 3 virtual inauguration ceremonies which included handing over of Kandyan Dance academy, a hundred houses each in Kandy, Nuwara Elia and Galle and 24 houses each in Badulla and Anuradhapura.

Earlier grants to Sri Lanka by India:

i.India had extended aid worth USD 3.9 billion to help Sri Lanka sustain itself in face of the acute economic and financial crisis and meet its immediate needs such as medicines, cooking gas, oil and food items

ii.In February 2022, India in order to help Sri Lanka overcome its fuel shortage, signed an agreement for the supply of petroleum products worth USD 500 million from the Indian Oil Company through a credit line.

• This was expanded by an additional USD 200 million worth of petroleum products in April 2022.

iii.India’s EXIM bank and State bank of India (SBI), for the import of essential commodities, extended export credit facilities worth USD 1,500 million to Sri Lanka.

iv.India also signed USD 400 million agreement with Sri Lanka to help preserve the latter’s forex reserves.

Recent Related News:

i.The Vice President (VP) of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, visited Cambodia for 3 days from November 11 to 13, 2022, on his first-ever foreign visit.

ii.Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Defence, paid a 2-day visit to Cambodia, from 22nd to 23rd November 2022, to take part in the maiden India-ASEAN(Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Defence Ministers Meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

About Sri Lanka:

Capital– Colombo
Currency– Sri Lankan Rupee