Maldives Prez to attend PM's oath ceremony in New Delhi: Report

Male: President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives has agreed to attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi this coming weekend, media reported today.

President Muizzu will travel to New Delhi on Saturday for the ceremony with a number of other high government officials, according to a report from the Maldivian news portal Edition.mv, which cited its sister newspaper in Dhivehi, Mihaaru News.

There was no official confirmation yet from the Maldives President's Office about Muizzu's first official visit to India

Earlier on Wednesday, President Muizzu had congratulated PM Modi and voiced his desire to work with him to advance the bilateral ties.

"Congratulations to Prime Minister @narendramodi and the BJP and BJP-led NDA, on the success in the 2024 Indian General Election, for the third consecutive term.

"I look forward to working together to advance our shared interests in pursuit of shared prosperity and stability for our two countries," President Muizzu posted on X.

This will be the first official India visit of President Muizzu, who is known for his pro-China stance, since assuming office on November 17 last year.

Unlike his predecessors, who made the first port of call to New Delhi after assuming office, President Muizzu had travelled to Turkiye first and to China for his first state visit in January.

Within hours of his oath, President Muizzu had demanded the removal of approximately 88 Indian military personnel from his country, straining bilateral ties. The military personnel were repatriated from three aviation platforms and replaced by civilians from India by the May 10 deadline set by President Muizzu.

The swearing-in ceremony is expected to witness the presence of leaders from neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Mauritius, and Seychelles, in addition to the Maldives, as part of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy.

With PTI inputs