Malé: Amidst strained relations, the Maldives has extended heartfelt appreciation to India for permitting the export of essential commodities to the island nation. Moosa Zameer, the Maldives Foreign Minister, conveyed his gratitude to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the Indian government for their gesture, emphasizing its significance in strengthening the enduring friendship between the two countries.
India’s decision to allow the export of essential goods to the Maldives, as per the request of the island nation’s government, was lauded by the Indian High Commission in Male on Friday. Describing it as a testament to India’s unwavering commitment to supporting the human-centric development in the Maldives, the commission highlighted that this action was facilitated under a distinctive bilateral mechanism, with increased quotas allocated for each essential item.
Expressing his appreciation on the social media platform X, the Maldivian Foreign Minister wrote, “I sincerely thank EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of #India for the renewal of the quota to enable #Maldives to import essential commodities from India during the years 2024 and 2025.” He further emphasized, “This is truly a gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong commitment to further expand bilateral trade and commerce between our two countries.”
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And in response on X (formerly known as Twitter), India’s EAM S Jaishankar stated:
Bilateral Agreement Strengthening Ties
A bilateral trade agreement inked between Maldives and India in 1981 facilitated the import of several essential items, fostering closer economic ties. With the latest announcement, there’s been a notable increase of 5 per cent in the quotas for essential commodities such as eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour, and dal (pulses). Additionally, the allocation for stone aggregates and river sand, crucial for the Maldives’ burgeoning construction sector, has been raised by 25 per cent to 1,000,000 metric tonnes.
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The High Commission of India in the Maldives emphasized that the upward revision of quotas for each essential item underscores India’s commitment to meeting the Maldives’ requirements. “Upon the request of the Government of Maldives, the Government of India has allowed for the export of certain quantities of essential commodities for the year 2024-25 under a unique bilateral mechanism, wherein, the quotas for each of these items have been revised upwards,” the Commission announced on X on Thursday.
