Maldives Welcome India’s Initiative To Champion Issues Central To The Global South

On Thursday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid virtually attended the Voice of the South Summit convened by the Government of India. Titled the ‘Priorities of the Global South – Ensuring a Conductive Environment’ the session provides a platform for the Global South to share concerns and discuss solutions to shared challenges.

Speaking at the session, Foreign Minister Shahid extended his congratulations to India for assuming the Presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20) and welcomed its initiative to champion issues central to the global south. He underlined that climate crisis, soaring public debt and price fluctuations are among the key challenges faced by countries in the Global South.

He then stated that he is confident that India will try to find transformative solutions to these problems and thanked the government for their invaluable developmental assistance to the Maldives throughout the years. Focusing on this, the Foreign Minister highlighted India’s integral role in the recovery efforts and national development of Maldives. India will be president of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.

Addressing the session further, he noted that through this summit it brings developing countries in particular, non-G20 members to the spotlight and helps combat inequality through strengthened South-South partnerships. The session was chaired by Minister of External Affairs of India, Dr. S. Jaishankar. Ministers from Armenia, Oman, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Panama, Tunisia and Uganda also took part in the session.