The Maldives has turned to Sri Lanka for assistance in medical evacuation services amid a strain in relations with India.
Maldivian Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Mohamed Ameen announced on a social media platform that Sri Lanka had agreed to help the Maldives on the issue.
Ameen, who met his Sri Lankan counterpart Nimal Siripala de Silva in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, posted on X that his country had agreed to help the Maldives with medical evacuation.
“We have specifically agreed upon creating a framework for immediate approval process between Maldives and Sri Lanka on urgent requirements, specifically on med-evac flights,” Mr Ameen said in his social media post.
Sri Lanka's de Silva confirmed the development while speaking to an Indian media house.
“They [Maldives] will use their air ambulances, this is to help keep this channel open and easy for any emergency medical treatment that Maldivians might need in Sri Lanka,” the Sri Lankan minister was quoted as saying by Indian media.
The development comes amid Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s efforts to reduce dependence on India in view of an ongoing diplomatic row between the two countries.