Met Mr. Sheikh Imran Abdulla, Home Minister of the Republic of Maldives. Held extensive discussions on ways to fur… https://t.co/P8WjT3WMR4 — Amit Shah (@AmitShah) 1582286434000

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday held extensive deliberations with his Maldivian counterpart Sheikh Imran Abdulla during which they discussed ways to further strengthen the ties between the two countries.Abdulla is on a four-day visit to India since Thursday."Met Sheikh Imran Abdulla, home minister of the Republic of Maldives . Held extensive discussions on ways to further deepen and strengthen ties between India and Maldives," Shah tweeted after the meeting.According to a home ministry statement, during the meeting, the two sides discussed issues of mutual interest in the area of security and law-enforcement cooperation.Welcoming the strengthening of the India-Maldives partnership, the ministers appreciated the expansion of bilateral cooperation in diverse fields including policing and law enforcement, counter terrorism, counter-radicalisation, organised crime, drug trafficking and capacity building, the statement said.The meeting was also attended by Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla and other senior officers from both sides.India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity.Except for a brief period between February 2012 and November 2018, relations between the two countries have been close, cordial and multi-dimensional.India was among the first to recognise Maldives after its independence in 1965 and to establish diplomatic relations with the country.Proximity of Maldives to the west coast of India (it is barely 70 nautical miles away from Minicoy and 300 nautical miles away from India's West coast), and its situation at the hub of commercial sea-lanes running through the Indian Ocean and its potential to allow a third nation's naval presence in the area imbues it with significant strategic importance to India.