Leaders of Maldives and India discuss working together for development of both nations

Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, on Monday, met with his Indian counterpart, Droupadi Murmu.

The meeting was held at the Indian presidential palace, Rashtrapati Bhavan in capital New Delhi.

The President’s Office, in a post on X, said both leaders underscored the importance of working together for the development and prosperity of both nations during the meeting.

President Muizzu and a high-level delegation of the Maldivian government departed to India on Saturday night to attend Sunday evening’s inauguration ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a third consecutive term.

Modi met with President Muizzu and other leaders of South East Asian countries on the sidelines. Both leaders have been captured all smiles and close to each other throughout the events. They were even seated next to each other at a banquet hosted for world leaders by Indian President Murmu.

Tensions first arose between Maldives and India in light of the ‘India Out’ campaign led by then-opposition, which includes senior officials in the current administration, calling for the removal of Indian military personnel based in the Maldives.

The relations soured further after three deputy ministers in the current administration made disparaging social media comments about PM Modi and India. The tensions, however, had dissipated to an extent following Maldivian Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer's May visit to India. 

June’s visit to attend Modi’s inauguration marks President Muizzu’s first visit to India after assuming office in November of last year. 

Modi has also described President Muizzu’s visit as an opportunity to strengthen ties between the two nations. The governments of both Maldives and India have affirmed their commitment to deepen the bilateral ties between India and the Maldives.

In this trajectory, during this visit, President Muizzu met with India’s Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar where they discussed strengthening ties between the two nations.