India will give a $100 million line of credit to the Maldives to support development projects, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said yesterday after holding talks with his counterpart, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Solih arrived in India on Monday for a four-day visit. The two countries inked six agreements to boost cooperation in several areas, including disaster management, cyber security and affordable housing.
The two leaders also marked the start of construction on the Greater Male Connectivity Project, a 6.74- kilometer- long bridge and causeway funded by India that will connect the nation’s capital, Male, to three other islands.
Both stressed the importance of close ties between their two countries as vital for peace and stability in the region.
“There has been renewed vigor in the friendly ties between India and Maldives. Our closeness has increased,” Modi said, adding that despite challenges sparked by the Covid-19 pandemic, cooperation between the two countries has strengthened.
Solih said the two leaders discussed terrorism and the need to “enhance maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean region.”
