Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu arrived here on Sunday on what is seen as a visit aimed at mending fences with India following prolonged tensions between the two neighbouring nations over the presence of Indian troops in the archipelago.
Shortly after his arrival, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the Maldivian leader.
”Pleased to call on President @MMuizzu today at the start of his State Visit to India. Appreciate his commitment to enhance India-Maldives relationship. Confident that his talks with PM @narendramodi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties,” Mr Jaishankar wrote on X after the meeting.
Mohamed Muizzu, who is accompanied by First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed, will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, followed by the signing of some key agreements between the two countries. The two leaders are expected to give an impetus to bilateral ties during their talks.
Mr Muizzu had come to India in June for a brief visit to mark his presence at the swearing-in ceremony of Mr Modi’s government. He had informal talks with the PM at that time also and assured him that he would soon pay a state visit to India. The Maldives President will also meet President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Apart from New Delhi, he will visit Agra, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Recently, on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, Mr Muizzu had stated that he was 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 said.
Earlier, almost every Maldivian President used to make his first foreign visit to India but Mr Muizzu, who is considered a strong ally of China, changed the trend by first visiting Turkiye and then Beijing, after assuming office.
Mr Muizzu started making positive overtures towards India only after India withdrew its troops from the island.