India and Maldives  signed six agreements to boost the bilateral relations between the two countries.

The agreements were inked in New Delhi during the two-day official visit of Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to India.

The signed Agreements/MoUs are

• Agreement for Avoidance of Double Taxation of income - The Agreement seeks to avoid double taxation of income derived from international air transport.

• Agreement for the Exchange of Information with respect to Taxes – It envisages mutual assistance for exchange of information that is relevant to the administration and enforcement of the domestic laws concerning taxes covered by the Agreement. It also includes exchange of information relevant to the determination, assessment and collection of such taxes, the recovery and enforcement of tax claims, or the investigation and prosecution of tax matters.

Bilateral Agreement related to Orbit Frequency Coordination of "South Asia Satellite” proposed at 48oE – It will be used for the purpose of performing intersystem orbit-frequency coordination for the operation of ‘South Asia Satellite’. It will also be used for fulfilling ITU level regulatory requirements and obtaining international level protection/recognition for the ‘South Asia Satellite’.

• MoU for Cooperation in the area of conservation and restoration of ancient mosques and joint research and exploratory surveys in Maldives - It proposes for development of detailed proposals for such projects by Archaeological Survey of India and Department of Heritage, Maldives.

• MoU on cooperation in the field of Tourism - It envisages cooperation in areas of tourism including expansion of bilateral cooperation and exchange of information and data related to tourism. It seeks to encourage cooperation between tourism stakeholders including Hotels and Tour Operators and establishing exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resource Development. It seeks investment in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors and exchange visits of Tour Operators/Media/Opinion Makers for promotion of two way tourism.

It looks forward for exchange of experience in the areas of promotion, marketing, destination development and management. It also looks for participation in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other’s country and promoting safe, honourable and sustainable tourism.

• Action Plan for Defence Cooperation – It is an important component of the India-Maldives bilateral relationship and the shared strategic and security interests of the two countries in the Indian Ocean region. It envisages an institutional mechanism at the level of the Defence Secretaries to further bilateral defence cooperation.