Minister of Defense and National Security Adam Shareef Umar says that that India has agreed to gift an aircraft and a helicopter to the Maldives, in a bid to strengthen the Maldivian military's capabilities.
He said this while speaking to journalists after returning to Malé today, following an official visit to India on the 18th of this month. He was accompanied by MNDF’s Vice-Chief of Defense Force Brigadier General Ahmed Shahid, as well as Department of International Defense Cooperation and Policy’s Principal Director Abdul Matheen Ahmed.
During his visit, he had engaged in several meeting and discussions, where the main focus was the fortifying of ties between both Maldives and India. A highlight of the discussions was aimed at initiatives that can be carried out to improve military efforts.
For that, the Defense Minister’s Indian counterpart assured that assistance - in all aspects - is ready to be provided to the Maldives at any time, adding that the frequency of aid will only increase over time.
The assurance was made during Minister Adam Shareef’s meeting with the Indian military officials and relevant authorities.
Other provisions that India has agreed to provide included the donation of an MRI machine and a CT scan machine to MNDF’s Senahiya hospital.