President Mohamed Nasheed has this evening met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The meeting was held at the Grand Assembly Hall after the inauguration of 16th SAARC Summit.

Discussions during the meeting were mainly focused on increasing cooperation in higher education between India and the Maldives.

During the discussions, President Nasheed said the Maldives was facing shortage of lecturers and sought Indian assistance.

Prime Minister Singh, speaking on the issue, said India would assist in filling this gap, and provide lectures to the Maldives.

The President briefed the Indian Prime Minister on the financial restructuring programme and the IMF programme in the Maldives.

President Nasheed also noted that many Indian companies have been expressing interest to invest in the Maldives and that many were already investing in the Maldives. He added that this was a sign of greater cooperation between the two countries.

In addition, the two leaders discussed issues of mutual concern such as climate change, defence cooperation and counter-terrorism.