India will gift one Fast Patrol Vessel ship and a Landing Craft to the Maldives National Defence Forces when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh makes an official visit to the Maldives between 1-3 May 2023, the Ministry of Defence has informed.

The visit is in tune with India’s commitment to capacity building of friendly countries & partners in the region and will be an important landmark in building the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries.

During his stay, Singh will hold bilateral talks with his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Ahmed Didi and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid where the entire gamut of defence relations between the two countries will be reviewed. He is also scheduled to call on Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The defence minister will further visit the ongoing project sites in the country and interact with the Indian diaspora.

Download Nagaland Tribune app on Google Play

India and the Maldives are working closely to effectively address shared challenges, including maritime security, terrorism, radicalisation, piracy, trafficking, organised crime and natural disasters. India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) along with its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy as well as Maldives’ ‘India First’ policy seek to work together to jointly develop the capabilities within the Indian Ocean Region.