Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is due to be hosted by his Indian counterpart on Monday for his three days trip to India, India’s External Affairs Ministry (EAM) announced. 

Solih’s India trip is aimed at tightening geo-political, security, and economic ties between the two geographically and economically dependent South Asian neighbours. 

President Ibrahim Solih’s India visit will mark the newly elected President Droupadi Murmu hosting a foreign dignitary for the first time during her time in office. 

During his visit, President Solih will reportedly hold talks with an Indian business delegation in Delhi in addition to his formal obligations in the capital. 

The MEA stated in a formal statement that President Solih will also visit Mumbai and take part in business activities during this trip. 

President Solih’s India visit comes in the backdrop of a tremulous time for both the nation’s common neighbour Sri Lanka which is facing an economic free-fall and political turmoil. 

The Maldives just recently gave diplomatic clearance to an Air Force flight carrying the fleeing Sri Lankan former Prime Minister, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his wife and two bodyguards on July 13th. 

Towards lending “further momentum” in Indo-Maldavian ties

Although India’s relations with the Maldives have been multi-dimensional, mostly cordial and co-operating, under Maldive’s pro-China ex-President Abdulla Yameen, relations were strained, thanks to his “India out” campaign. 

However, in recent years, the partnership (between India and Maldives) has witnessed rapid growth in all areas of cooperation, the MEA said in a statement ahead of Solih’s visit. 

“President Solih’s upcoming official visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to review the progress made in this wide-ranging partnership and lend further momentum to it,” the Ministry’s statement said. 

Recent India-Maldives relations have been defined by developmental cooperation. New Delhi gave the island nation grants for community development projects and lines of credit (LoC) totalling more than USD 1.2 billion for infrastructure upgrades.

Strategically Important

India and the Maldives are strategically important neighbours under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s defence-centric ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy because of the Maldives’ location in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is often known as the tollgate of the Indian Ocean. 

The Maldives straddle a 960-km-long undersea ridge stretching north to south and forming a wall in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives’ geostrategic importance is significantly greater than its tiny geographic size, which is one of the smallest nations in Asia.

President Ibrahim Solih visited India twice (technically, once, officially) during his tenure, with the first visit days after his election in December 2018. 

Solih’s second visit to India—albeit an unofficial one—was to Bangalore in April 2019, where he reportedly flew to enjoy an IPL match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings.