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During UNGA speech, Maldives FM Abdulla Shahid thanks India for $250 million support amid COVID-19

WION
New DelhiWritten By: Sidhant SibalUpdated: Sep 16, 2021, 07:05 PM IST
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Earlier this month, India had formally extended the $250 budgetary support or loan at a ceremony in Maldivian capital Malé in the presence of Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid

Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid during his United Nations General Assembly speech on Tuesday thanked India for the $250 million budgetary support to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I thank all our partners who have generously extended financial, material and technical support during this crisis, even when they themselves are going through challenging times," the Maldives foreign minister said.

 "One such example is India. The recent budget support of 250 million US dollars, was the single largest financial assistance from a donor during this pandemic," he added.

Earlier this month, India had formally extended the $250 budgetary support or loan at a ceremony in Maldivian capital Malé in the presence of Maldives foreign minister Abdulla Shahid, finance minister Ibrahim Ameer, Indian High Commissioner Sunjay Sudhir and CEO of SBI in Male, Bharat Mishra. 

Maldives is the only country to which India has provided such assistance to deal with the COVID-19 economic impact. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, India has reached out to the Maldives in a number of ways including by sending a rapid response team, a consignment of 5.5 tons of essential medicines, followed by more consignments and 580 tons of food aid including foodgrains, onions, etc in May. 

Maldives FM highlighted how COVID-19 impacted his country as "a vibrant and thriving nation - our lives, came to a standstill, almost overnight. With no tourists, revenue declined, and debt increased. The economy is set to contract – for the first time in a decade."

The Indian ocean country has constituted a National Taskforce on Response and Recovery and it will focus on post-COVID-19 action plan.

Maldives FM also called for "meaningful action" for the protection of our ocean. He said,"millions of people rely on the ocean and its bounty, for their survival. For Maldivians, as custodians of over 90,000 sqkm of the Indian Ocean, it is part of our identity, our way of life, our economy."

The country has committed to the protection of 20 per cent of its waters and is also committed to working with the Global Ocean Alliance towards achieving the global target of protecting 30% of the ocean in the coming years. Maldives President Ibrahim Solih last year at United Nations General Assembly announced to phase out single-use plastics by 2023.