India agrees to extend debt repayment deadline: Maldives minister

Significant progress has been made in accelerating India-assisted projects in the Maldives, according to Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, who also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to giving these projects first priority.

Zameer made his first-ever bilateral official visit to India from May 8 to May 10. He stated that on May 9, he and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar held bilateral talks to discuss important issues aimed at accelerating the projects started with India’s financial help.

According to him, the operational dynamics of the committees tasked with carrying out these projects were the main topic of conversation with S Jaishankar, psmnews.mv reported.

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Speaking during a news conference in the President’s Office, Zameer stated that India has approved an extension for the Maldives to repay a debt of $200 million, of which $150 million is still outstanding. Upon taking power in 2019, the previous government secured the loan.

Of the $200 million owed to India, $50 million was paid back in January, according to Zameer. He emphasized that no requests have been made by the Indian government in exchange for a longer payback time for the remaining $150 million.

According to the minister, during the previous government, loans and grants from India helped launch a number of initiatives around the Maldives.

He said that major progress has been made in accelerating projects with Indian assistance.

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He emphasized how important it is for the current administration to prioritize starting and finishing these initiatives. During his most recent trip to India, he further demonstrated his commitment to this endeavor.

S. Jaishankar emphasized the importance of India’s ongoing projects in the Maldives during the two countries’ formal discussions.

Zameer’s trip to India coincided with a decline in bilateral relations between the two nations since pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu took office half a year ago.

Muizzu’s insistence on the departure of Indian military troops operating three military installations within the island nation severely strained relations between the two countries.

Zameer announced on Saturday that 76 Indian military troops had been replaced by civilian workers of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the company that produced the two helicopters that India had provided. This announcement also put an end to the speculation regarding the precise number of individuals who had returned home at Male’s request.

The Maldivian government, however, has no plans to remove the Indian doctors who work at Senahiya.