Your Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih
Madam First Lady
Excellency Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid
Excellency Home Minister Sheikh Imran Abdulla
Honourable Members of Parliament
Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed
High Commissioner of India Munu Mahawar
Senior Officers of the Maldives Police Service
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my distinct privilege today to be here in Addu and join His Excellency at the inauguration of the National College for Policing and Law Enforcement (NCPLE). I bring with me the warm wishes and greetings of India’s leadership, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and of 1.3 billion people plus.
As I came to this building and stood there at the flag raising and looked around me, Excellencies, I must say I felt a very great sense of pride. This is a project which I have monitored both in my current capacity and in my previous capacity over many years and to see a project of this magnitude and this importance unfold, which is a real symbol of our development partnership. It is very hard to describe that feeling. But even as I congratulate the Maldives Police service on their new training centre I would like to really put this achievement today in the larger context of our relationship. And that context is particularly important because both of us have come through a very difficult period where we were challenged by the covid.
So let me Excellency President Solih, first of all commend you and the Government and People of Maldives for the resilience they have shown in the face of this adversity. Your vaccination program, your decision to establish an air bubble, our working together, I think these have all been examples of how actually challenges bring two neighbors much more closely than they would be otherwise.
We are proud of what we have achieved in recent years, we are particularly proud of the way we have faced challenges together. And it has showed that your policy of ‘India First’ and our policy of ‘Neighbourhood First’, these are not just phrases but these are actually the very fulcrum of our relationship.
This morning, I also had an opportunity to pay homage at the Addu War Memorial, where Indian soldiers and servicemen died between 1942 and 1944. And their passing away reminds us how history - in many ways - connects India and the Maldives.
In recent times, under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Modi and President Solih, the India-Maldives partnership has achieved momentum and indeed dynamism on an unprecedented scale.
Today, our partnership envelopes cooperation in almost every facet of our bilateral relationship. The focus of our engagements, of course, always remains the well-being of our peoples.
Our development partnership – which is transparent, which is driven by the needs and priorities of the People and Government of Maldives– ranges upwards of USD 2.6 billion in terms of grants, loans, budgetary support, capacity building and training assistance. We are now entering a phase where projects are taking off, they are getting delivered, we are seeing them on the ground. And this expedited delivery has been very much a focus of my three visits to Maldives and I can only say what a pleasure it has been working with the Government and my partners out here.
In Addu itself, we are today witnessing the inauguration of several important projects that have been completed. I will have the privilege of participating in the formal ground-breaking of the Addu Roads project on which work has commenced. We will also witness the signing of the USD 80 million contract for the Addu Reclamation and Shore-Protection project.
We are also confident that the Gan Airport Redevelopment Project – which is another crucial ingredient of Addu’s transformation – will enter the implementation phase very soon.
In addition to these examples, India also supports the island communities through High Impact Projects. Nine of our twenty ongoing High Impact Community Development Projects are in fact in Addu City and I will have an opportunity to inaugurate two of them later this afternoon.
We have made swift progress in the iconic Greater Male Connectivity Project as well which has now moved from the stage of concept to preliminary works in less than two years. Geo-technical surveys are ongoing and we expect ground-breaking in the coming months.
Construction activity has also begun on 4000 housing units in Hulhumale as well as drinking water and sanitation projects on 34 islands. The Hanimaadhoo Airport Redevelopment project, the expansion of facilities for MIFCO, the Cricket Stadium Project in Hulhumale are all in tendering stage and we very much hope that new contracts will be signed and work will commence soon.
I am also happy to share that the USD 40 million Line of Credit which we had concluded during my last visit in February 2021 for the sports infrastructure has advanced and Detailed Project Reports are under preparation.
I am happy to note that our people-to-people ties have become even more vibrant. India was among the top sources of tourists for Maldives in 2020 and 2021, helped by the air bubble arrangement. We would certainly strive to keep that place in the coming years.
I am delighted that our bilateral trade has witnessed a number of facilitation measures including direct cargo vessels that serve our southern ports and Maldives and ensure that the supply of essential commodities is smooth.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Let me now come to the main reason why we have gathered here today. The NCPLE is an apex grant project for the Government of India. Prior to the Greater Male Connectivity Project, in fact it is our largest grant funded project. This sprawling campus is a monument to our growing cooperation. I congratulate the Government of Maldives on this achievement. I commend NBCC, the contractor M/s Avantika and the teams that have worked tirelessly on this campus to make this institution a reality.
We hope that the NCPLE will soon grow into an iconic institution that churns out the best brains and bodies to face the challenges that confront any modern police force.
The MoU that will be signed here today – between the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA) of India and the Maldives Police Service - will be a springboard for the NCPLE to grow its capacities through training and the development of its curriculum.
Aware of the importance of this training for the MPS, we have increased the number of training slots for the Maldives at our police academy to 8. The Director of our academy is present here with us. We hope that the fraternal bonds, which he himself has personally developed over many years, between our two institutions will empower NCPLE to become a regional centre of excellence on law enforcement in the coming years.
I am also happy to inform that the project for creation of police infrastructure facilities across the islands of Maldives with over USD 40 million financing from EXIM Bank of India has received the necessary approvals. Under this project, 61 facilities including island and atoll-level police stations, divisional headquarters, detention centres and barracks will see construction begin soon.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Defence cooperation is another key pillar of our partnership. I am delighted that later today we would be formally handing over to the Chief of Defence Forces, the Coastal Radar System, which comprise of the ten radar stations. This system will contribute to enhancing security for the Maldives and for the entire region.
India and Maldives share a deep and abiding friendship. Today, our relationship is so full of promises and possibilities for our youth and for our future generations. It is also a partnership of great consequence and a real force of stability and prosperity for the Indian Ocean Region.
I am confident that NCPLE will be one such flagship institution which would radiate this message. I congratulate President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the Government and People of Maldives, and in particular, the officers of the Maldives Police Services on its inauguration. I wish all Maldivians a blessed month of Ramzan ahead.
I thank you for your attention.