World News | Rajnath Singh meets Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid

male [Maldives]May 2 (ANI): Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh attended a dinner hosted by Maldives Defense Minister Maria Didi on Monday.

Maldives Ministry of Defense tweeted: “HE @MariyaDidi hosted a dinner in honor of her visiting Indian counterpart HE @rajnathsingh. Min Didi reiterated that tonight’s dinner was to celebrate partnership achievements and reaffirm their commitment to strengthen cooperation and collaboration Opportunity.”

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During the dinner, a cultural program was held, reflecting the close cultural ties between India and Maldives.

The defense minister, who arrived in the Maldives on Monday, met with Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid in Male as part of a three-day visit to the island nation.

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“Great to meet Maldives Foreign Minister Abdullah Shahid in Male today,” Singh tweeted.

Earlier, he paid tribute to fallen heroes at the “November 3 Remembrance Day” flag-raising ceremony. He was accompanied by his Maldives foreign minister, Mariya Didi.

“Indian Defense Minister HE @rajnathsingh, accompanied by Maldives Defense Minister HE @MariyaDidi, @CDFofMNDF and senior leadership of @MNDF_Official, paid tribute to the fallen heroes at the commemorative flag raising ceremony on November 3,” Maldives Ministry of Defense said in a tweet.

The Maldives designated November 3 as “Victory Day” to commemorate every martyr who died for the country. Victory Day commemorates the failed coup attempt in 1988.

Later on Monday, Singh took part in an interactive session at the headquarters of the Maldives Defense Forces.

The defense minister is expected to call on Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Saleh during his visit to the island nation.

In response to India’s commitment to capacity building of friendly nations and partners in the region, Rajnath Singh will be gifting the Maldives Defense Force a fast patrol ship and a landing craft.

During his stay, the Defense Minister will also visit the sites of ongoing projects in the country and interact with the Indian diaspora.

India and Maldives are working closely together to effectively address common challenges including maritime security, terrorism, radicalization, piracy, trafficking, organized crime and natural disasters.

India’s SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision and its “Neighborhood First” policy, and the Maldives’ “India First” policy seek to work together to develop capabilities in the Indian Ocean region. (Arnie)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the body of content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)