Maldives President's 1st Bilateral Visit To India From Sunday

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu will be visiting India from October 6 to 10, the foreign ministry said today. This will be his first bilateral visit to India. He had earlier travelled to India in June this year for the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his council of ministers.

Mr Muizzu will meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold discussions with PM Modi on bilateral, regional, and international issues of mutual interest during his visit. He will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru where he would be attending business events.

Maldives is India's key maritime neighbour in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The nation also found a special place in the Prime Minister's vision of 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy'.

"The visit of President Mohamed Muizzu to India after the recent visit of the External Affairs Minister )S Jaishankar) to the Maldives is testimony to the importance that India attaches to its relations with the Maldives and is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people to people ties between the two countries," the Minister of External Affairs said in a statement.

S Jaishankar visited the Maldives in August - first high-level trip from New Delhi after the island nation's pro-China president, Muizzu, assumed office in November last year.

During his visit, he met the Maldives President and other top leaders and assured them that New Delhi attached top priority to its multifaceted relationship with Male and was determined to further its developmental cooperation with the country.

India's relationship with the Maldives was hurt after Muizzu, known for his pro-China leanings, took charge as the President late last year.

Within hours of his oath, he demanded India replace the defence personnel it had stationed in the Maldives with civilians.

He, however, visited India to attend PM Modi's oath-taking ceremony and recently reaffirmed his administration's full commitment to strengthening the historic and close connections between the Maldives and India.

He said that India has always been one of the closest allies and invaluable partners, facilitating and providing aid whenever Maldives has needed it.