NEW DELHI: The inauguration of a new runway in the Maldives built under an airport redevelopment project assisted by India and the official launch of the RuPay card in the archipelago nation on Monday are aimed at boosting economic ties and tourism cooperation between the two countries.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu jointly virtually inaugurated the runway at the Hanimadhoo International Airport and also witnessed via weblink a live transaction using a RuPay payment service card in the Maldives.The launch took place after the two leaders held extensive talks which Muizzu in his press statement said were to “chart a new path for the future collaboration”.The Maldivian president accompanied by First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed and a Maldivian delegation arrived in India on Sunday evening. Though the Maldivian president attended PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in June, it is his first bilateral visit to India.Before the launch of different India-assisted projects in the Maldives, a small official video was played in which details about these projects were shared in the presence of the two leaders at the Hyderabad House.”The bonds between India and Maldives stretch back centuries, woven together through rich trade and cultural exchanges,” it was narrated in the video.Over the years, this relationship has evolved, characterised by “mutual respect and unwavering support”, underpinned by India’s Neighbourhood First policy and SAGAR vision, it said.India has always been the first responder in the Maldives during times of crisis.”Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Mohamed Muizzu, this relationship is to achieve greater heights,” it added.The RuPay card launch today will pave the way for strengthened India-Maldives relations by boosting tourism and economic cooperation, according to the India-Maldives video.”It will allow Indian tourists to make cashless transactions easily, reducing cost and enhancing convenience, especially in the Maldives tourism sector,” it said.The inauguration of the new runway at Hanimadhoo International Airport marks a “significant milestone in the airport’s ongoing expansion project”.Its redevelopment, under an “Indian Line of Credit of USD 132 million”, aims to provide complete new infrastructure including runway, ATC tower, ARFF block, hangar, cargo facilities, and passenger terminal building, it added.Prime Minister Modi in his press statement after the bilateral talks said President Muizzu’s visit adds “another chapter to our ties”.After the talks, India also handed over 700 social housing units to the Maldives built under the EXIM Bank’s buyer’s credit facilities.Prime Minister Modi and President Muizzu met on Monday and “comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral ties while noting the progress made by both countries in deepening their historically close and special relationship that has immensely contributed to the betterment of the peoples of the two countries,” the MEA later said in a statement.
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