Maldives to try and alleviate difficulties in obtaining aggregate and river sand from India

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has stated that the Minister of Defence Colonel (Rtd) Mohamed Nazim will seek to alleviate some of the difficulties faced by Maldivians in India, during his upcoming visit to the country mid this month.

MNDF states that the Maldives Defence Minister will make an official visit to India from the 14th until the 19th of April, in answer to an invitation extended by the Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony.

Minister Nazim is scheduled to hold talks with the Indian authorities regarding recent difficulties faced by Maldives such as; problems in obtaining visas to India, and the restrictions faced by Maldivian companies in importing certain goods, especially aggregate and river sand for construction that until quite recently, were mainly brought in from India.

The main purpose of the Maldives Defence Minister’s visit is to strengthen military ties between the two countries and to seek Indian assistance in developing the existing military mechanisms in the Maldives, states MNDF.

In addition to the Indian Defence Minister A. K. Antony, Defence Minister Nazim is scheduled to meet with the Indian Minister of Home Affairs, the Indian National Security Advisor, the Chiefs of the Indian Navy, Army, and the Air Force, and the Director General of the Indian Coast Guard. The Minister is also scheduled to visit the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC) located in Maharashtra, Pune, and the College of Military Engineering (CME) located in Dapodi, Pune. He is expected to negotiate for more seats in CME for Maldivian military officers seeking training in the field of Civil Engineering.