India, Maldives seek to strengthen bilateral relations

New Delhi, Aug 09: Dr. S. Jaishankar, India’s Minister of External Affairs,(MEA) arrived in the Maldives on Friday evening, where he was warmly received at the airport by Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer. In a message shared on X (formerly Twitter), Jaishankar expressed his satisfaction with the visit, stating, “Pleased to arrive in Maldives. Thank Foreign Minister @MoosaZameer for receiving me at the airport. Maldives occupies an important place in our vision of ‘Neighbourhood First’ & ‘SAGAR’. Looking forward to fruitful engagements with the leadership.”

Jaishankar’s visit, scheduled from August 9th to August 11th, marks his first trip to the Maldives since beginning his second term as External Affairs Minister in June. During this visit, he will pay a courtesy call on President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu and engage in official talks with Foreign Minister Zameer to review the current state of bilateral cooperation.

The visit will also see both ministers inaugurating completed projects under the High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDP) and the Line of Credit facility provided by the EXIM Bank of India. They will also witness the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on capacity building, commerce, and trade.

The backdrop to Jaishankar’s visit is significant, as relations between India and the Maldives had recently seen a period of strain. The bilateral ties, once considered strong, became tense following the rise of the ‘India Out’ campaign, which was led by then-opposition leader Mohamed Muizzu, now the President of the Maldives.

The campaign, which called for the removal of Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives, led to a diplomatic rift. After assuming office, the situation worsened when Muizzu chose to visit China before India and insisted in removing the technical Indian army team of around 70 persons from Maldives, who civilian technicians later replaced.

Further tensions arose when three Maldivian deputy ministers made disparaging remarks about India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media. These incidents contributed to a decline in the number of Indian tourists visiting the Maldives, impacting one of the country’s key industries.

However, recent months have seen a concerted effort from both sides to mend the relationship. High-level visits, such as President Muizzu’s attendance at Prime Minister Modi’s inauguration and Foreign Minister Zameer’s visit to India, have signaled a willingness to restore ties. The presence of Maldivian Tourism Minister Ibrahim Faisal in India to promote the Maldives as a tourist destination further underscores the efforts to rejuvenate the relationship.

As Minister Jaishankar engages with the Maldivian leadership, there is optimism that the relationship between Male’ and New Delhi is on the path to recovery, with both sides expressing a strong desire to maintain and strengthen their historically close ties.