NEW DELHI: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met with his Maldivian Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, to explore bilateral cooperation. The External Minister called the Maldives' Foreign Minister to wish him a happy New Year, and the two talked on mutual benefits and bilateral issues, according to the External Minister's office.

Jaishankar later greeted, "In my conversation with FM Abdulla shahid, I recognised the significant progress made in bilateral collaboration. Its reciprocal benefits are readily apparent. I sent my New Year's greetings to the Maldives' people and government "..

This discussion is crucial since Abdulla Shahid was just elected President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where India controls a number of vital positions. Abdulla served as Speaker of the Maldives Parliament from 1995 to 2018. He was a member of Parliament from 1995 to 2018.

The Maldives' proximity to India's west coast, where it is only 70 nautical miles from Minicoy and 300 nautical miles from India's west coast, and its location at the crossroads of commercial sea lanes running through the Indian Ocean, as well as the possibility of allowing a third country's naval presence in the area, endow it with significant strategic significance for India.

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