External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met the President of the United Nations General Assembly and his Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid on Monday and discussed the ongoing session of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, as well as, steps to further deepen bilateral relations between the two nations.
Meanwhile, Shahid lauded India’s role at the United Nations and called it a “source of pride” for not only South Asia, but for all peace-loving democracies. Talking about India’s role during the COVID-19 pandemic, Shahid praised India for helping several countries in the remotest parts of the world and termed it the “pharmacy of the world”.
He also praised Indian assistance to the Maldives during the COVID-19 pandemic, and referred to the “Travel Bubble” which saved the island`s economy. He said that India helped pull out the tourism industry of the Maldives from a crisis. “Our tourism industry was shut down, no one travelled, but at the height of the pandemic, we were able to reach an understanding with India on ‘Travel Bubble’, providing for Indian tourists to visit the Maldives,” he said.
“For example, in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, we were able to receive almost half-a-million tourists and that kept our tourism industry moving. Since then our economy is recovering, the pace of recovery is good and our economy is stable.”
Shahid was on a visit to India from August 28-29, 2022. On Sunday, Shahid called on the Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar who congratulated him on his exemplary leadership of the UN General Assembly, especially in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing international conflicts, the press release of Ministry of External Affairs said.
Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra had called on Shahid on August 28 and briefed him on India’s priorities in the upcoming session of the UNGA, as well as, during India’s remaining tenure at the UN Security Council.