Male/New Delhi, October 6 . Maldives President Mohammad Muizzu arrived in New Delhi on Sunday afternoon on a five-day state visit. He has come to India at the invitation of President Draupadi Murmu. During his first bilateral visit, Muizzu will hold high-level meetings with President Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials of the Government of India.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the President of Maldives will also visit Mumbai and Bengaluru with a high-level delegation of his country, where he will attend business events.
This visit of Muizzu is of great importance because in recent days, India-Maldives relations have been full of ups and downs. However, for some time now, the President of Maldives has been constantly giving such statements which show that he wants to maintain strong relations with India.
On August 15, Mohamed Muizzu praised the ‘invaluable partnership’ between the two neighbouring countries in his congratulatory messages sent to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Maldives President reiterated his administration’s “full commitment” to strengthen the ‘historic and close ties’ between the two neighbouring countries.
On August 15, Muizzu wrote, “On the occasion of India’s Independence Day, I extend my warm greetings to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India. Our enduring friendship has evolved to promote prosperity and development in the Maldives and the region. I am confident that our partnership will continue to grow stronger, leading to mutual prosperity and shared goals.”
Earlier, during Foreign Minister Ayy Jayankar’s visit to Maldives, Muizzu described India as the ‘closest ally’ and ‘invaluable partner’. He also expressed ‘deep gratitude’ to PM Modi, the Government of India and the people of India for their ‘generous and constant support’ to the Maldives.
“India has always been the closest ally and invaluable partner that has always helped Maldives in times of need,” Muizzu said at a ceremony held at the President’s Office in presence of External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar.
“President Dr Muizzu is committed to enhancing bilateral relations with countries that have played a key role in Maldives’ development and growth, to ensure a dynamic and proactive foreign policy for the country. The discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and furthering the long-standing ties between the two countries,” his office said in a statement on Friday ahead of Muizzu’s arrival in India.
“This visit reflects the importance India attaches to its relations with Maldives. It is expected to provide further impetus to cooperation and strong people-to-people ties between the two countries,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said during the weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Friday afternoon.
