October 6th 2024.
The President of Maldives, Mohamed Muizzu, arrived in New Delhi on a pleasant Sunday afternoon for a five-day state visit. This is his first visit since taking office and he was invited by President Droupadi Murmu. The purpose of his trip is to hold important meetings with President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and other senior officials of the Indian government.
The External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, will also be meeting with President Muizzu in the evening. A grand reception has been organized for the visiting dignitary at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on Monday. President Muizzu will also pay his respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before engaging in bilateral discussions with PM Modi at the Hyderabad House. Later in the day, he is scheduled to meet with Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and President Murmu.
Accompanied by his wife, Sajidha Mohamed, and a high-level delegation, President Muizzu will be traveling to Agra on Tuesday. In a statement released on Friday, his office expressed his commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with nations that play a crucial role in the development and growth of the Maldives. The discussions during his visit will focus on enhancing cooperation between the two nations.
In addition to Agra, President Muizzu will also be visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru for business engagements. Earlier this year, he had attended the swearing-in ceremony of PM Modi and the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan on June 9, 2024. He also had a meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023.
According to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, this visit is a testament to the importance that India places on its relationship with Maldives. It is expected to further strengthen cooperation and people-to-people ties between the two countries. In August, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had also visited Maldives on a three-day official trip, his first since taking office for a second term in June. He had previously visited the Indian Ocean archipelago in January 2023, as India considers Maldives an important part of its vision of "Neighbourhood First" and "SAGAR".
Despite some tensions in their relationship last year, India has remained a significant provider of development assistance to Maldives. Many projects funded by India have benefited the lives of thousands of people in the country.
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