Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid praised India for helping his country amid economic difficulties
In a video posted on Twitter on Tuesday, Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid thanked India for its financial support and used a few Hindi phrases to highlight the strong ties that exist between the two nations.
According to Shahid, the relationship between India and the Maldives is strong, deep, and historic.
In Hindi, he said, "Dosti hamari acchi hai isliye rang layi hai, dosti humari gehri hai isliye sabko bhati hai. Dosti samay ki tarah chalti bhi jati hai."
India recently donated USD 100 million to the government of the island nation, which is currently experiencing major economic difficulties.
On Twitter, Abdulla Shahid also posted a photo of the event at the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which he is seen accepting a symbolic cheque from High Commissioner of India Munu Mahawar.
Along with the photo, he wrote, "Thank you #India for the timely and generous financial assistance of US$100 million. It is truly the strength of our ties that enable mutual growth and cooperation reaffirming #MaldivesIndiaPartnership"
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took part in the event through video conferencing. He tweeted on how the "special relationship, marked by genuine concern for each other's welfare and interests delivers every single time and particularly in time of need".
Maldives Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer also attended the ceremony. The event was attended by members of parliament, high commissioners, top officials from the ministry of finance, the Indian High Commission in the Maldives, and the State Bank of India.