New Delhi: In his first official bilateral visit to India since taking charge as President of the island nation in last November, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu received a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
Following the event, Muizzu headed to Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, accomanpied byMinister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh accompanied him to Rajghat.
Muizu will be holding bilateral discussions with PM Modi at the Hyderabad House.
The Maldives President is on his official five-day maiden visit to India at the invitation of President Murmu. Earlier on Sunday, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh received Muizzu as he arrived at the Delhi airport accompanied by First Lady Sajidha Mohamed. He has also with a high-level delegation.
On Sunday, soon after he arrived in the capital, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar called on Mohamed Muizzu.
"Pleased to call on President Mohamed Muizzu today at the start of his State Visit to India. Appreciate his commitment to enhance India-Maldives relationship. Confident that his talks with PM Narendra Modi tomorrow will give a new impetus to our friendly ties," posted EAM Jaishankar on X after his meeting with the Maldives President.
During the visit, he is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with President Murmu, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and other senior officials of the Indian government. The Maldives President will also be visiting Agra on Tuesday.
"President Dr Muizzu remains committed to enhancing bilateral ties with nations that play a crucial role in the development and growth of the Maldives, ensuring a dynamic and proactive foreign policy for the nation... Discussions will focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation and further enhancing the longstanding relationship between the two nations," Muizzu's office said in a statement on Friday.
He will also be visiting Mumbai and Bengaluru for business engagements.
Earlier this year, the Maldives President had attended the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Modi and the Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on June 9, 2024.
He had also met PM Modi on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai on December 1, 2023.
"The visit signifies the importance India attaches to its relations with Maldives. It is expected to lend further momentum to cooperation and robust people-to-people ties between the two countries," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said last week.
In August, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar had visited Maldives on an official three-day visit, his first since assuming the office for a second term in June.
Before that, he had previously visited the strategically significant Indian Ocean archipelago in January 2023 as India maintained that Maldives occupies an important place in New Delhi's vision of 'Neighbourhood First' and 'SAGAR'.
The bilateral visit of the Maldivian president assumes added significance in the backdrop of his campaign face prior to his election as President, where he was seen using a mostly anti-India plank which was also read with a pro-China tilt. China is perceived to be showing interest in the strategically located archipelago nation with a thrust to exert its sway in the region.
Despite such oscillation of the relations pendulum and becoming strained, India continued with its development assistance to the island nation, with several projects funded by India benefitting the lives of thousands of people in the country.
India's continued to play such role despite the Maldivian government's expulsion of Indian military personnel which Muizzu had made a campaign promise. But his tone during this visit would sound like a departure from such stances and more of seeking India's kind hand and role in its development.
More material to the Maldives is the loss of Indian tourists to the islands where tourism is a prime source of income. That was amply reflected in an interview he gave to the Times of India, when he said, "Indians make a positive contribution... Indian tourists are welcome."
Muizzu, in a deliberate bid to play down the relations getting cold during his term so far also tried to implicitly deny any warming of relations with China without naming it. He expressed a commitment to "fostering growth and development through diverse international collaborations".
He flagged his 'Maldives First' policy, saying "it is essential for the Maldives to diversify international relations and reduce over-dependence on any one country". However, he said that such engagements would not undermine India's interests.
"Respect for our neighbours and friends is embedded in our DNA," he said as he also called on Indian tourists to return.
(With inputs from agencies)