Maldives FM meets Indian counterpart at frosty time in relations

NEW DELHI -- India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday told his visiting Maldivian counterpart, Moosa Zameer, that ties between the "close and proximate" neighbors depend on mutual interests and reciprocal sensitivity after bilateral relations were strained by the election last year of a pro-China president in the Maldives.

India has been a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives, often extending financial support on favorable terms in the past.