The Maldives is a vital partner in the Indian Ocean region, according to External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar, who stated that collaboration between India and the Maldives has beyond its traditional role. Dr. Jaishankar said at the launch of the Addu Reclamation Project and Addu Shore Protection Project in the Maldives, “Our development cooperation is aimed at touching all facets of people’s lives in the Maldives and finding ways to bring tangible benefits to them.” In order to establish a sustainable approach to develop Addu as a regional hub, he said, India has worked with the Government of the Maldives on the Addu Reclamation and Shore Protection Project.
According to Dr. Jaishankar, the goal of this large-scale, 80 million US dollar project is reclamation for the benefit of Addu’s general economic development as well as the development of tourism. The Minister stated that this will result in greater prospects for commerce, entrepreneurship, and employment as well as overall growth for the area. In the past several years, Dr. Jaishankar continued, India has spent over 220 million US dollars in Addu, which would give a good picture of the significance India places on regional development in the Maldives.