Male [Maldives], May 2 : Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, on Monday, attended the dinner, which was hosted by Maldivian Defence Minister Mariya Didi.
"H.E. @MariyaDidi hosted a dinner to honour her visiting Indian counterpart H.E. @rajnathsingh. Min Didi reiterated that tonight's dinner was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of partnership and to renew their commitment to strengthen cooperation and collaboration," Maldives Defence Ministry tweeted.
At the dinner, a cultural programme happened, emblematic of the close cultural ties between India and Maldives was reflected.
Defence Minister, who reached Maldives on Monday, had met Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid in Male during his three-day visit to the island nation.
"Happy to have met with Maldives' Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdulla Shahid in Male today," Singh tweeted.
Earlier, he paid tribute to fallen heroes at the '3rd November Memorial' flag mounting ceremony. He was accomped by his Maldivian counterpart Mariya Didi.
"The Defence Minister of India, H.E.@rajnathsingh, pays tribute to fallen heroes at the 3rd November Memorial flag mounting ceremony, accomped by Defence Minister of Maldives H.E.@MariyaDidi, @CDFofMNDF, and senior leadership of @MNDF_Official," Maldives Defence Ministry said in a tweet.
November 3 in the Maldives is celebrated as "Victory Day" to pay tribute to each and every martyr to sacrificed his life for the country. Victory Day is to mark the defeat of an attempted coup in 1988.
Later on, Monday, Singh attended an interactive session at the IHQ of Maldives National Defence Force.
The Defence Minister is expected to call on Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih during his visit to the island nation.
In tune with India's commitment to capacity building of friendly countries and partners in the region, Rajnath Singh will gift one Fast Patrol Vessel ship and a Landing Craft to the Maldives National Defence Forces.
During his stay, the Defence Minister will also visit the ongoing project sites in the country and interact with the Indian diaspora.
India and the Maldives are working closely to effectively address shared challenges, including maritime security, terrorism, radicalisation, piracy, trafficking, orgsed crime and natural disasters.
India's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) along with its 'Neighbourhood First' policy as well as Maldives' 'India First' policy seek to work together to jointly develop the capabilities within the Indian Ocean Region.
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