India agrees to build cricket stadium in Maldives

Press Trust of India  |  Male 

assured the on Monday that it will "positively consider" its request to help build a stadium in the island nation as the two discussed cooperation in the field of youth and

Swaraj arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit, the first full-fledged bilateral trip from to the island nation after the government of came to power in November last year.

"While discussing cooperation in the field of youth and sports, the Maldivian side requested Indian assistance for the construction of a stadium," according to a joint statement released at the end of Swaraj's visit.

"The Indian side agreed to positively consider the request," it said.

India and the on Sunday discussed measures to strengthen bilateral ties and collaborate in the fields of defence, development cooperation, capacity building and health care.

Solih visited India in December last year during which India announced a USD 1.4 billion financial assistance to the island nation.

visited the Maldives in November to attend Solih's swearing-in ceremony who became after defeating Abdulla Yameen, who was known to be close to

The Maldives national team represents the country in international cricket. It made its Twenty20 International debut in January this year after the decided to grant full Twenty20 International (T20I) status to all its members.

Indians are the second largest expatriate community in the Maldives with approximate strength of around 22,000.

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First Published: Mon, March 18 2019. 17:00 IST