Maldives Minister Stresses "Strong, Long-Standing" Ties with India Amid Cooperation

He emphasised ongoing collaboration on sustainable development, market reforms, and global challenges to benefit both countries.

Speaking to ANI, Mohamed said, "India and the Maldives have had very good relations from the very beginning. The fact of the matter is, we are the closest neighbours. That fact will remain as it is. We are working in a very close manner, respecting each other and collaborating for the benefit of both countries. We are working with market reforms and the foreign missions in India, and from our side, we are working very closely. Even here, with the Indian institutions, we have been collaborating."

"This relationship is not new; it has been strong for a long time. Regarding global challenges, sustainable development, and meeting other requirements under these frameworks, we are working much closer than before. This will benefit and help achieve the framework targets for both India and the Maldives. We have been having excellent relations," he said.

On the sidelines of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2026, Mohamed highlighted the summit as an opportunity to engage with global leaders and multilateral organisations to address transboundary and multinational challenges through international cooperation.

"At this summit, there are a lot of heads of state, ministers, and high-level officials from different countries and multinational organisations. So this is a good opportunity to talk with delegations of people from other parts of the world who are having similar issues and taking our concerns to authorities or at the multilateral level, so that we can get solutions to our issues, particularly because these are trans-boundary and multinational issues that we have to find solutions to in cooperation with other countries and other multinational organisations. This is a good opportunity to network and work together with other people and institutions with similar issues," he said.

He also said India has been a reliable partner in environmental and sustainable development initiatives, providing technology, knowledge transfer, and capacity-building support to help the two countries address shared challenges.

"Here I'll be meeting the Indian counterpart at other institutions as well. Because we are having similar issues in some areas... We have been working on environmental and sustainable development... We have to work together with our counterparts, countries, and organisations so that we can achieve our aims and goals. In that context, India and the Maldives have been working on similar projects for a long time," he said.

"India has been a reliable partner. India has the technological advances, and for us, the capacity building, knowledge transfer, and technology transfer we could get from India. India is always helpful in looking for these opportunities so that we can get solutions to our issues," he said.

He emphasised that tourism, the country's economic backbone, depends on environmental sustainability, highlighting the need for cooperative efforts with India to tackle challenges like sea level rise and coral bleaching. "Tourism is the economic backbone of our country, which is highly dependent on the environment. Sea level rise, coral bleaching, these are the issues that we have to tackle. India, as well, has a larger coastal area along the Indian Ocean, and all these lie in the same ocean. We have to work in a sustainable way that minimises the environmental impact so that our tourism survives. That we have to see even in developmental projects, with minimum impact on the environment. Any development has to be considered in a sustainable way," Mohamed said.

He said the country is collaborating with India and other neighbours on renewable energy projects, including a 100-megawatt solar installation, aiming to meet its target of generating 33 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2028. "Already, we are working on different projects with India. We have been having common projects and working on projects together for many years. Even now, we are formulating some projects that we can work on together, India, the Maldives, and even some other neighbouring countries. These formulations are ongoing. In the area of renewable energy, particularly, we have been working very closely with the International Solar Islands, which is mainly based in India," he said.

"Even last year, we had a workshop for capacity building, and now we are looking forward to implementing some renewable energy projects. This is one way we can comply with the Paris Agreement. Regarding the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, we have a target set by our president to achieve 33% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2028. We are progressing well; at the moment, nearly 10% has been achieved, and in the coming three years, we have some mega solar projects underway. A 100-megawatt installation is under construction, so hopefully this will be achieved by 2028, our target year," he said.

- ANI