Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrives in New Delhi

New Delhi, Oct 6: Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived in New Delhi today for a highly anticipated State visit to India. He was warmly received by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh. The visit from Sunday, October 6, to Thursday, October 10, is expected to further cement the longstanding relationship between the two neighbouring nations.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted the significance of the visit, with its spokesperson saying, “This visit will provide a further boost to the comprehensive bilateral partnership between India and the Maldives.” High-level discussions are set to take place, with President Muizzu scheduled to meet with President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other senior ministers and officials to discuss avenues for enhancing cooperation across multiple sectors.

Accompanying the president is a high-level Maldivian delegation, signalling the importance placed on this diplomatic mission. Maldives officials have emphasised that the country remains committed to strengthening ties with key international partners, which play a crucial role in the nation’s development and foreign policy.

Traditionally, Maldivian leaders have chosen India, the country’s closest bilateral ally, for their first official visit. However, President Muizzu, who assumed office in November last year, deviated from this norm by making his first foreign visit to Türkiye, followed by China for his first state visit.

The initial phase of Muizzu’s presidency saw a strain in relations between Male and New Delhi, particularly after his administration called for the withdrawal of the technical team of the Indian army stationed in the Maldives. The situation was exacerbated when three Maldivian deputy ministers made derogatory remarks about India and Prime Minister Modi on social media, resulting in their suspension, with two resigning from their posts.

To ease tensions, President Muizzu met Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai last December, and he also attended Modi’s inauguration for a third term as prime minister in June. Diplomatic exchanges have since followed, including visits by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to Maldives and Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer to India. India also despite the earlier diplomatic friction, postponed the repayment of two loans to the Maldives and assured of supporting the country with more projects.

India has remained a steadfast partner to the Maldives, contributing $100 million in development projects last year.

According to the local media of Maldives, ahead of his departure, President Muizzu gave an email interview to BBC, in which he underscored that India was fully aware of Maldives’ fiscal situation and expressed confidence that India, as one of Maldives’ biggest development partners, will be ready to ease the island nation’s burden.

“India is fully cognizant of our fiscal situation, and as one of our biggest development partners, will always be ready to ease our burden, find better alternatives and solutions to the challenges we face,” he said.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had previously visited the Maldives in August, reiterating India’s commitment to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ and ‘SAGAR’ (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision. Despite last year’s diplomatic tensions, India has continued to be a key provider of development assistance to the Maldives, funding projects that have positively impacted thousands of lives in the island nation.

As part of the visit, President Muizzu and his delegation will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru for business engagements aimed at bolstering economic ties. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday in a weekly briefing said, “The visit signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with the Maldives. It is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries.”