EAM Jaishankar holds talks with Maldivian counterpart

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held talks with his visiting Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid, covering a range of key issues including bilateral cooperation. Shahid, who is also President of the UN General Assembly, arrived here on Sunday. After the talks, Jaishankar said India's 'Neighbourhood First' and Maldives' 'India First' policies complement each other.

"Glad to meet FM of Maldives and UNGA President @abdulla_shahid. Congratulated him on the achievements of his UNGA Presidency. Working together to advance our special relationship. India's Neighbourhood First and Maldives' India First policies complement each other," he tweeted.

On his part, Shahid said the discussions touched upon the achievements of the 76th session of the General Assembly as well as the importance of multilateralism. "Always good to meet H.E. @DrSJaishankar, India's Minister of External Affairs. Our discussions touched on the achievements of the 76th session of the General Assembly as well as the importance of multilateralism," he tweeted. The visiting foreign minister also thanked India for its strong support to his presidency of the UNGA. Shahid also met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar. "Happy to welcome President of UN General Assembly and Foreign Minister of Maldives, H.E Abdulla Shahid to India. His dynamic leadership of the 76th UNGA and his Presidency priorities, in particular on revitalizing the UN, has universal appeal," Dhankhar tweeted. "We are confident that his visit would further strengthen India's close and multi-faceted ties with Maldives," he added.

The Maldivian foreign minister's visit to India comes nearly a month after President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's trip to New Delhi. During Solih's visit, the two sides inked six agreements to expand overall cooperation in a range of areas.