Male, June 11, 2024 - The Maldives Foreign Ministry announced today that President Mohammad Muizzu, on his inaugural official visit to India, engaged in discussions aimed at fortifying bilateral cooperation between the Maldives and India.

Muizzu, perceived as being aligned with China, undertook the visit to India to participate in the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Council of Ministers. Modi, leading the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, was sworn in for his third term as Prime Minister on Sunday.

The swearing-in ceremony witnessed the presence of key leaders from India's neighboring countries and the Indian Ocean region, including Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe, and Mauritius' President Pravind Kumar Jagannath.

The Maldives Ministry of External Affairs reported that Muizzu returned to Male on Tuesday morning after the conclusion of his official visit. A statement from the Ministry indicated, “President Muizzu's visit to India was at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to partake in the swearing-in ceremony of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers of the Government of India.”

Furthermore, during his stay, President Muizzu attended a banquet hosted by the President of India, Her Excellency Draupadi Murmu, in honor of the visiting dignitaries. Subsequently, the two leaders convened for a meeting wherein they deliberated on reinforcing bilateral cooperation between the Maldives and India.

A statement from the President's Secretariat in New Delhi elaborated, “The two leaders engaged in discussions concerning the enduring and multifaceted relations between the two nations, emphasizing crucial facets of our comprehensive bilateral cooperation, including people-to-people contacts, capacity building cooperation, economic and trade ties, and development cooperation.”

President Murmu expressed optimism regarding the future strengthening of India-Maldives relations. Additionally, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held discussions with Muizzu, expressing his pleasure through a social media post on platform 'X', stating, “It was a great pleasure to meet Maldives President Dr. Mohammed Muizzu in New Delhi today. Hope to work together with India and Maldives.”