The Maldives has welcomed India’s initiative to champion issues central to the Global South. Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid made the remark while participating virtually in the Voice of the South Summit convened by the government of India.
Speaking at the session entitled Priorities of the Global South - Ensuring a Conducive Environment, Minister Shahid congratulated India on assuming the Presidency of the Group of Twenty (G20). He also welcomed the initiative by India to give a platform for the Global South to share concerns and discuss solutions to shared challenges.
During the session, Minister Shahid said that rising levels of public debt, the climate crisis, and commodity price fluctuation are some of the key challenges facing countries in the Global South and expressed confidence in India’s Presidency of the G20 to find transformative solutions to these issues. He further thanked India for the developmental assistance provided to the Maldives throughout the years, noting India’s important role in the recovery efforts and national development of the Maldives. He highlighted the opportunity the Summit brings for developing countries, especially non-G20 members, to fight inequality through strengthened and revived South-South partnerships.
The session was chaired by the Minister of External Affairs of India Dr. S. Jaishankar. In addition to the Maldives, ministers from Armenia, Oman, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Georgia, Iran, Jamaica, Kenya, Panama, Tunisia, and Uganda also participated in the session. India will be the President of G20 until November 2023.