Defense Minister Ghassan also set for India visit

Defense Minister Mohamed Ghassan Maumoon is also scheduled to travel to India on an official visit just as Foreign Minister Abdulla Khaleel concluded an official visit to the neighboring nation.

It was Khaleel who announced Ghassan’s impending visit to India.

In an interview with the Indian news outlet Wion during his visit, Khaleel stated that Ghassan is expected to visit India "very soon."

It will mark Ghassan’s first official visit to India since assuming office.

According to Wion, Ghassan is due to arrive in India on Tuesday on a two-day official visit.

Relations between Male’ and New Delhi had been strained in the early days of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s presidency after he demanded that India withdraw its troops from Maldives – executing a pledge he made during his presidential campaign. Things escalated further after three Maldivian deputy ministers made disparaging remarks regarding India and Indian Prime Minister Modi following a social media post promoting India’s Lakshadweep as an alternative tourist destination to the Maldives.

The Maldives Foreign Ministry was quick to distance itself from the remarks, saying that they do not represent the views of the Male’ government. The three junior ministers were suspended, and two of them later resigned.

But despite the earlier turmoil, officials from both Male’ and Delhi repeatedly expressed keenness to maintain relations and engaged in several high-level visits between the two countries. Subsequently, relations between the neighboring nations have stabilized.