Neighborhood policy completes one circle with no end: PM Modi neighborhood policy
After gaining the power for the second time, PM Modi decides to visit Maldives and Srilanka, on 8 June and 9 June, respectively. He had started his journey by visiting a temple named ‘Guruvayur’ in Kerala.
After the arrival of PM Modi in the Maldives, he would be addressing the president of the Maldives, named Ibrahim Solih. There is a clear expectation that an agreement based on customs cooperation, capacity building, defence and connectivity issues.
The crucial coastal surveillance radar system is a major topic of the project, which would be launched by PM Modi and Ibrahim Solih, in unison. The respective topic is associated with the betterment of maritime security in the India Ocean region. The visit of PM Modi in the Maldives is symmetrical in nature, as PM Modi had already visited the Maldives in 2018. India has an opinion that the Maldives is a valued partner, with whom it shares deep bonds of history and culture.
“Our bilateral relations with the Maldives have been greatly strengthened in the recent past. I am confident that my visit will further deepen our multi-faced partnerships.”,PM Modi said.
The proud moment for the nation is that the PM Modi becomes the first foreign minister to visit Sri Lanka, after Easter bombings of April. On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches in Sri Lanka and three luxury hotels in the commercial capital Colombo were targeted in a series of coordinated terrorist suicide bombings. Later that day, there were smaller explosions at a housing complex in Dematagoda and a guest house in Dehiwala. 258 people were killed, including at least 45 foreign nationals and three police officers, and at least 500 were injured. The church bombings were carried out during Easter services in Negombo, Batticaloa, and Colombo; the hotels that were bombed were the Shangri-La, Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury, and Tropical Inn. PM Modi is inclined towards establishing support to the Sri Lankan government in overcoming the tragedy.
A luncheon has been hosted by the president of Sri Lanka named “Sirisena”, for our PM Modi. This is the third time that PM Modi is visiting Sri Lanka(already visited in 2015 and 2017). These two visits clearly signify the importance of ‘neighborhood policy’,(policy for improving the relationship with the immediate neighbors of India). Eventually, the main aim of PM Modi behind these visits is to enhance the political, economic,religious and strategic relations, in their own way of sustained promise.