Maldives President Muizzu to travel to India next week, visit to lend momentum to ties: MEA

While addressing a weekly media briefing on Friday, Jaiswal stated that the Maldivian President's visit to India is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between two nations. He said that Muizzu, during his visit to India, will be travelling to Mumbai and Bengaluru for business engagements.

Announcing the upcoming visit of Maldivian President, Jaiswal said, "President of the Republic of Maldives Dr Mohamed Muizzu will be travelling to India on a State visit during 7th to 10th October. This will be the first bilateral visit of President Dr Muizzu to India. As you know, he had earlier visited India, in June 2024 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the PM and council of ministers. During the visit, he will also be visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru, where he will have business engagements."

"The visit of the President of Maldives to India after the recent visit of External Affairs Minister to the Maldives is testimony to the importance India attaches to its relations with the Maldives and the visit is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries," he added.

He will visit India following an official invitation extended by President Droupadi Murmu, according to a Maldivian President's Office press release. During his visit, Muizzu is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with President Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, and other senior officials of the Indian government.

"During his visit, President Dr Muizzu is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with President Murmu, Prime Minister His Excellency Narendra Modi, and other senior officials of the Indian government. Discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and further enhancing the longstanding relationship between the two nations," the Maldivian President's Office stated.

During the visit, Mohamed Muizzu will be accompanied by a high-level delegation from the Maldives.

In a statement, Maldives President's Office stated, "President Dr Muizzu remains committed to enhancing bilateral ties with nations that play a crucial role in the development and growth of the Maldives, ensuring a dynamic and proactive foreign policy for the nation."

Recently, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Muizzu told ANI, that he is planning to visit India as soon as possible. He also praised the "very strong" bilateral relationship between the two countries."

"I am planning to visit (India) as soon as possible...We have a very strong bilateral relationship," Muizzu told ANI.

Earlier this year, Muizzu attended the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi and the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 9. The two leaders also met on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023.

India's ties with the Maldives were strained after Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu took office. Shortly after he was sworn in, Muizzu stirred bilateral tensions by demanding the removal of approximately 88 Indian military personnel from the Maldives. These personnel were repatriated from three aviation platforms and replaced by Indian civilians by the May 10 deadline set by President Muizzu.

Recently, Muizzu's government in the Maldives took a reconciliatory tone after ties between the two nations soured, leading to a diplomatic row in January after three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his pictures from the visit to Lakshadweep.

PM Modi had called for the Indian island cluster to be developed as a destination for beach tourism and promotion of domestic tourism. The matter snowballed into a major diplomatic row, with New Delhi summoning the Maldivian envoy and registering a strong protest against the viral posts. Later, the three deputy ministers were suspended.

Since January, many efforts have been undertaken by the Muizzu-led government in order to restore the relationship, which includes several high-level visits, including the President himself coming to India for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the visit of the Maldivian Foreign Minister.

Earlier in August, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Maldives. During his visit to Male, Jaishankar signed MoUs on capacity building and inaugurated six High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs), according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) release.

Jaishankar also called on Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu and reviewed bilateral relations with Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer, the statement added. During his meeting with Muizzu, he extended greetings from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (ANI)